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THE 



PRACTICAL PAINTER 



AND 



INSTRUCTOR, 



CONTAINIKO 



THOROUGH INFORMATION IN THE ART OF 

MODERN PAINTING, VARNISHING, 

Etc. 



BT 



D. S. McDANNELL, 

Rock Island, III. 



.i U 




' -f/i-: <".' 










CHICAGO: 

CHURCH, GOODMAN AND DONNELLEY, PUBLISHERS. 
1868. 



71 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1868, 

By D. S. McDANNELL, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for 
the Northern District of Illinois. 



i 






T« 



P F^A CTICAL PaINTEI\_ 



AND 



T N S T R^U C T O I^. 




P B^B FACE. 



In bringing this work before the trade, it is designed 
to be a benefit to the Art of Practical Painting, and 
an assistant to those in the trade. The autlior is con- 
fident tliat this work has never been surpassed, in 
giving a thorough insight in the art of mixing and 
using colors. All he asks is a thorough examination 
of this work, feeling confident that it will be duly- 
appreciated. 

The art of painting is no new subject ; but in prac- 
tical painting there has not been that careful investi- 
gation there should have been. The decoration and 
beautifying of our homes is worthy of the careful con- 
sideration of the trade. 

The author hopes to rectify a great many errors. 
The art of painting is most abused by those who have 
not served a regular apprenticeship, and, knowing 
but little of the business, contract work at ruinous 
prices, which, being but half done, causes great injury 
to the business. The object of the author is to give 
full and practical information in the art of mixing and 
using colors, and handling the various branches of the 



vi. Preface. 

business. Having followed the business twenty-three 
years, he is enabled, by close observation, to prcxluce 
a better work than has ever been introduced to the 
trade. He treats the various parts of the business 
separately, giving thorough, practical information on 
every point, which has never "been done in any work 
heretofore published. 

To the new beginner, this work is of immense value, 
while to those more experienced, the tables, charts, 
scales, measurement, and ready reckoner, will prove 
invaluable assistants, saving much time and trouble. 

Many of our best workmen have contributed to this 
work, and we feel confident it will meet the approba- 
tion of our fellow-painters. The work has not been 
filled with old discarded receipts, "but is designed to give 
clear information to the new bcgmner, which he can 
comprehend, and to assist the older workmen in House, 
Sign, and Carriage painting ; also in Gilding and 
Calcimining. The painter's measurement is not gen- 
erally understood ; therefore considerable pains have 
been taken in giving a correct scale of measurement 
in this book, which it is hoped will be universally 
adopted as a standard by contractors, thus doing away 
with the practice of taking work for a nuve trifle, 
which many, through ignorance, now do. It is hoped 
this work will prove a help to all — to those having 
work done as well as the workmen. The right way is 
to get a fair recompense for your work, and do it well ; 
for remember, what is worth domg at all, is worth 
doing ireU. The man that gets his work done at half- 
price, gets a very inferior job, and it would often be 
better not to have it done at all ; therefore, go upon 
the principle of " live and let liva" 



Preface^ vii. 

There are himclreds of men following this business 
who know nothing of mixing colors suitable for the 
different kinds of work. This book will give them 
thorough instruction in this art. 

And now, my friends and brother painters, all we 
ask of you is to give this work a fair and impartial 
trial, and the author will guarantee that you will be 
satisfied that the Practical Painter is a brick of no 
small dimensions. We shall endeavor to stand up for 
the rights of painters, for he is expected by the public 
to understand his business, and a great deal more. For 
instance, he is expected to make his paint dry, or his 
varnish have a splendid gloss. It matters not whether 
he made the japan or not. He is also expected to do a 
thousand and one things which are often impracticable, 
and is frequently blamed for things which are unavoid- 
able, for paints are manufactured mostly from chemi- 
cals, and new materials are coming into use constantly. 
The druggist buying from different manufactories, the 
painter can not be expected to know an article before 
giving it a trial ; and it is the same with all colors as 
well as japans and varnishes. If this was better 
understood by the public, painters could give better 
satisfaction. 

Painters have a hard trade to follow, being subject 
to the effect of chemicals and poisonous nature of the 
paints. The chemicals work on different constitutions 
in various ways, with great injury ; therefore the 
painter should be well paid for his work in all cases. 
In the northern and western countries he can do but 
little in the winter ; and what he does he can make 
but little fronii In the first place, he can make but 



viii. Preface, 

about half a day ; and again the paint thickens up, and 
will not cover so much surface as in warm weather. 

We think the public should give the poor painter 
his due, for we study to please, and to make pleasant 
that blessed place called home. My friends, what will 
make a mother, wife, or sister, more happy than a well 
painted room, grained, varnished and papered, or the 
walls well glossed? They will invariably exclaim, 
"how beautiful ! how nice! and so easily kept clean !" 

My friend and brother, there seems a great responsi- 
bility resting upon you ; therefore I advise you to 
study this book well, and may it teach you to give 
good satisfoction, gain custom, and be useful to all ; 
and may the knowledge you derive from it give you 
happiness in your business, and may that be as varied 
as the colors of the rainbow, of which we are but 
imitators. 

THE AUTHOR. 






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INDEX. 





PAOB. 


Plain Painting - - - - 


- 21 


Inside Painting - . . - 


21 


Painting Pine or Pitch Woods - 


- 22 


Painting Dead White, or Flatting 


22 


Plain Coloring . - - - 


- 23 


Painting Brick Walls - - - . 


24 


Sanding on Brick - - - - 


- 24 


Sanding on Wood Work 


25 


Chinese Gloss White - « . 


- 25 


French Porcelain Gloss White 


26 


Egg Shell Gloss .... 


- 27 


China Gloss for Walls, White and Colors 


27 


Instruction on Tracing . - - 


- 29 


To Paint Venetian Blinds 


30 


Priming and Glazing ... 


- 31 


Floor Painting 


33 



lo Index, 

FAOS. 

Painting Tin Roofs and Spouting - - 33 

Grinding Colors .... 34 

Remarks on Colors, Tints, Hues, and Shades - 34 
Remarks showing that Paint will not Stand on 

Damp Wood - ... 39 

Painters' Measurement (Rules) - - - 40 

Prices of Painting and Furnishing the Paints 44 
Rules of Measuring, and Bill of Prices, on Brick 45 

Prices on Colors of diiferent shades - - 46 

Prices for Glazing New Sash - - - 46 

Prices for Glazing Old Sash - • - 47 

How to Charge for Graining - - - 48 

Prices for Glossing - - - - 48 

Prices for Calcimining - - - - 49 

Prices for Hanging Paper - • - 49 

Prices for Sign Painting - - - - 49 

Tube Color List (Artists' Colors), in Oil - 56 

List of Moist Water Colors - - - 57 

List of Painters' Colors in Oil or Dry • 59 

List of Flocks - - - - - 59 

List of Isinglass (or Frosting) - - 60 

List of Smalts - - - - - 60 
General Production of Colors, or the Graduations 

of Shades 60 

Ten Shades produced from Five Colors - - 64 

Burning Colors .... 65 



Index, 



II 



Graining Instruction 
Mahogany 
Walnut - 
Maple - 
Ash 

Rosewood 
Satin Wood 
Tulip Wood - 
White Walnut - 
Cedar - 
Hair or Ring Wood 



PAGE. 

66 
66 
66 
67 
67 
67 
67 
67 
69 
69 
69 



To Mix Distemper (or Water) Graining 
To Varnish Water Color Graining 
Tools Used in Distemper Graining - 



70 
70 
70 



Graining in Oil — 
Oak 

Chestnut 
White Oak 

" " Medium 
Red Oak 
Polard Oak - 



73 
73 
73 
73 
73 
73 



Instruction in Mixing Oil Graining Color 
Tools Used in Graining 
Glazing or Shading Oak - 



74 
75 
75 



12 



Index, 





PAQB. 


Yarnishing Oak - - . 


76 


Marbling — 




Black Italian Gold Marble 


- - 76 


Black Egyptian Marble 


77 


Sienna Marble - . - 


- 77 


Mountain Sienna Marble (or Pike 


's Peak 


Marble) 


78 


Italian White Marble 


- 79 


Dove Marble - - . 


79 


Dark Gray Marble 


- 80 


Verda Antique - . - 


80 


Jasper - . - - 


- 80 


Black and Gold Marble 


81 


Black Veined Sienna Marble - 


- 81 


Norwegian Slate - - - 


81 


Agate . - - . 


- 83 


Dove Gray Granite 


83 


Green Lava . - • 


- 83 


Napoleon Agate - - - 


84 


Red Porphyry - - . 


- 84 


Swedish Porphyry - - - 


85 


Scotch Agate - - - 


- 85 


Black Granite ... 


86 


White Granite - • - 


- 87 


Gray Granite • . . 


87 



Index, 



13 





PAGE. 


Staining Rosewood . - - 


- 87 


Rosewood Stain, very light 


88 


Cherry Stain . - - - 


- 88 


Mahogany Stain, on Walnut - 


83 


Common Mahogany Stain 


. 90 


Common Walnut Stain 


90 


A Beautiful Walnut Stain 


- 90 


Asphaltum Rosewood Stain - 


90 


A Cheap Rosewood Stain - 


- 90 


Coloring and Staining on Tin 


91 


Gold Lacquer for Tin - - - 


- 93 


To Pearl or Crystallize Tin - 


94 


Frosting on Glass - - . 


- 94 


Ornamenting Frosted Windows 


95 


Painting Calcine Window Shades 


. 95 


Chair Painting ... 


97 


To Paint Cottage Furniture 


- 99 


Wagon Painting . . - 


100 


Scenery Painting - - - - 


- 101 


Fresco Painting ... 


103 


Calcimining . . - - 


- 104 


Paper Hanging - - « 


106 


To Varnish Wall Paper . - - 


. 107 


Re-Painting Picture and Glass Frames 


108 


To make Removable Ornaments and Letl 


.ers on 


Glass - - - - - 


- 109 


Sign Writing or Lettering 


109 



14 Index, 



PAGB. 



For Transparent Signs or Letters - - 111 

To take Impressions on Japan Tin - - 111 

Impressions on Patent Leather - - - 112 

For Smalting Signs - - . - 114 
For Gilding Signs .... 114 

Gold Signs on Canvas - - - - 115 

English Gilding on Glass - - - - 1 1 5 

Etching on Glass - - - - 119 

Silk Banners - - - - - 120 

Bronzing - - - - - 21 

Painting Black Boards . - . - 121 

Oriental or Crystal Painting - - - 122 
A Fine Black Stenciling that will Not Spoil 

Stencil Plates - - - - - 124 

A Transparent Blue for Polished Steel - 124 

Lettering Show Cards . - - - 125 

Lettering Posters - - . - 125 

Lettering Door Plates - - - - 125 

Painters' Cream - - - - 126 

A Process to Gild or Paint when in a hurry - 126 

Knot Killer 127 

Gilding with Gold Oil Size - - - 127 

Gold Size for Glass Gilding - - - 128 

To Prepare and Size Canvas or Silk - - 128 

Bronzing Size ----- 128 

Size for Paper Hanging - - - - 128 

Size for Varnishing Wall Paper - - 129 



Index. 



15 



PAGE. 

Size for Lettering on Canvas - - - 128 

Size for Scenery Painting . - - 129 

To Prepare Canvas for Landscaping - - 139 

Clarifying Linseed Oil - - - - 130 

Copal Varnish 130 

Common Furniture Varnish - - - 130 

A Varnish for Musical Instruments - - 131 

Common Shellac Varnish ... 131 
A Black Varnish for Iron ... 131 

A Varnish for Fancy Articles - - 133 

Japan Drier for Wagon Work - - - 133 

Japan Drying Oil . - - - 133 

A No. 1 Japan Drier - - - - 133 

A Fine Benzole Japan Drier - - 134 

A Drying Oil for Light Work - - - 184 

The Little Gem Drier for Light Work - 135 

The Queen City Japan Drier - - - I35 

Polishing, Varnishing, etc. - - - 135 

To Varnish by Scraping - - - - 137 

A Reviving Polish - - - - 137 

French Polish 138 

German Polish - ... 138 

A Patent Coach Varnish - - - - 139 

Common Rough Stuffing - - - 139 

Mack's Waterproof Priming for Brick - - 140 

Rubber Waterproof Paint . - - 141 

Stucco Paint, for Rough Work or Brick - 141 



i6 



Index, 





PAOB. 


To Mix Color for Stenciling 


143 


Instructions for Making Colors - - - 


144 


The Chemical Composition of Colors 


151 


Oils 


154 


Turpentine - - . - - 


155 


Benzole ----.. 


155 


Oil Reducer - . - . - 


15G 


To Test Oil Paint ... - - 


158 


Boiling or Preparing Paint Skins 


158 


Aspbaltum ..... 


159 


Gum Shellac - - - . - 


159 


To Make Tracing Paper - - - - 


159 


To Stain Wood and Ivory - . - 


160 


Making Putty . - - - - 


160 


Strawing Colors .... 


162 


Number of Pounds to the Square Yard on Brick 




and Wood . . . - - 


163 


A Varnish to Prevent Glass from the Rays of 




the Sun ..... 


163 


Yarnish for Maps, Drawings, etc. 


164 


A Gold Colored Copal Yarnish 


164 


To Mix Paint for Grooves or Sinks 


165 


To Paint Inside of Sinks ... 


165 


Gold Leaf 


166 


To Write on Metals .... 


167 


To Take Ink Spots out of Light Furniture 


168 


To Clean Pictures . . - - 


168 



Index. 



17 



To Clean Paint, that is Cracked or Smalted, off 

Carriages, Signs or Glass - - - 169 

Carriage Painting .... 170 

A Rough Stuffing for Carriages - - - 177 

To Rub Down a Carriage - - - 177 

A Process for Ornamenting Carriages - - 180 

Omnibus Ornamenting ... 184 

To Gild Buss Ornaments ... 185 

Brushes and Painters' Tools . - - 187 

Tlie Care of Brushes - - - - 191 

Binding or Bridling Brushes - - 193 

ListofLightspcr Box of Fifty feet - - 196 

Price List of Glass per Box of Fifty feet - 301 

Handling and Cutting Glass - - - 203 

The Care of a Diamond ... 204 

Ready Reckoner for Taking Work - - 206 

Scale of Windows— 9's, Plain Finish, from 10 to 20 207 

" " 9, Moulding Finish " " 208 

« " 9, Pilaster Finish, with cap, " 208 

" " 10, Plain Finish, 10 to 20 208 

« « 10, Moulding Finish, " " 208 

« « 10, Pilaster Finish, with cap, " 209 

" « 11, Plain Finish, 10 to 20 209 

" " 11, Moulding Finish, " " 209 

" « 11, Pilaster Finish, with cap, " 209 

« « 12, Plain Finish, 10 to 20 210 

« « 12, Moulding Finish, " " 210 



1 8 Index, 

PAGE. 

Scale of Windows, 12, Pilaster Finish, with cap, 

10 to 20 210 

Scale of Doors and Frames - - - 212 

Plain Finish ----- 212 

Moulding Finish - • - - - 212 

Pilaster Finish, with cap - - - 212 

Scale of Business Fronts, with Flange - - 213 

Plain - - 213 

Scales of Bases — 6 in Base, 9 and 12 in Base - 213 

Scale of Floors and Ceilings - - - 214 

Scale of Picket Fence of different heights - 215 

Scale of Window Blinds - - - 216 

Scale of Porch Floors, Ceilings and Awnings - 217 

Scale of Wainscoting, etc. . - - 218 

Scale of Stairs - - - - - 221 

Scale of Balustrade and Hand Rail - - 222 

Cleanliness in Painting - - - - 224 

Remarks to Beginners ... 226 

Painters' Colic and Weak Wrists - - 228 

To the Apprentice or Young Painter - 230 

Conclusion . . - . . 234 



THE PRACTICAL PAINTER 
AND INSTRUCTOR. 



The Pi^ctical j-*aintei^ 






By D. S. McDANNELL. 



Plain painting is the first thing that the 
apprentice is instructed in^ and he should be 
very careful to observe closely all the instruc- 
tions given in this work. First, all the white 
lead should be well strained, through a strainer 
made of perforated tin ; and in mixing the col- 
ors, you should be very careful to mix it suita- 
bly for the work to which it is to be applied. 
For plain white painting, outside, the colors 
should be mixed with linseed oil, with a fair 
proportion of Japan drier. It requires three 
coats of paint to make a fair job, but much 
work is done with two coats only. 

For inside painting, the paint should be 
mixed, for two coat work, with one-third oil 



22 The Pra ctical Pa in ten 

and two-thirds turpentine ; where three coats 
are required, prime the work with one-half oi] 
and one-half turpentine, and for the two next 
coats, mix the color one-fourth oil and three- 
fourths turpentine. When you wish to flat the 
work, mix the paint all turpentine, and dry it 
with patent drier ; benzole has been used to a 
considerable extent, but at present painters 
have abandoned its use. 

In painting pine or pitch woods, the knots 
and pitch places should all be thoroughly killed, 
or they will show, and spoil the work. (To 
make knot-killer, look under the head of Var- 
nishes.) You should use but little oil in side- 
painting ; for, by standing a short time, it turns 
yellow, and spoils the job. To paint a clear 
dead or flat white, first kill the knots, then give 
the work three coats of the best white lead, 
and the fourth coat with clear zinc mixed with 
turpentine, and a small quantity of patent drier. 
In making a neat job, too much care can not 
be taken in puttying \v^ the work. The best 
putty for filling small holes is made of one-half 
common putty, and one-half white lead, well 
worked together. All work should be puttied 
after priming, and before the second coat is 
put on. The work should be thoroughly rubbed 
with sand-paper, cutting the surface evenly. 



Plain Coloring, 23 

Remember that the best brands of lead are the 
cheapest, and always give the best satisfaction. 

PLAIN COLORING. 

In mixing plain colors for house-work, that 
have white lead in them, mix and strain first ; 
then add the colors, little at a time, until the 
right shade is produced. For inside work, mix 
one-fourth, and sometimes one-half, oil, in col- 
ored paints, the other parts spirits turpentine, 
with drier. All colors are best ground ; and 
it is especially necessary in inside work. It is 
also necessary that colors should harmonize; 
for example, wdien ll(/ht-hvown. is used, the 
trimming should be c^ar^'-brown — and what- 
ever the shade, use the same colors to produce 
the body and trimming colors. If this is ob- 
served, the colors will harmonize. Many 
houses are trimmed with white lead, which 
does very well ; green and brown will not har- 
monize, and the same is true of various other 
colors. The work should be thoroughly dry 
between each coat ; and the work is much im- 
proved by rubbing it with sand-paper. Paint 
will go much farther, if ground. Remember 
to use the drier, in all your colors ; for, unless 
it is dry, a good job can not be made. All 



24 The Practical Pa i titer. 

"vvork that is to bo vaniislioil, sliould bo mixed 
with spirits turpontino ; that is, to a dead or 
tlat oolor, with :i vory small portion of oil. 
Thore is no doviation from this rulo. You 
should not varnish over oil colors, if it can 
possibly bo avoided j because it is liable to 
crack. 

paixtixCt brick walls. 

First, give the work one coat of my brick- 
priming ; if this can not bo obtained, use oil- 
color; then give the work two or three coats 
of the color you desire, using raw or boiled 
linseed oil. 

SANDING OX BRICK. 

First, give the work one coat of patent brick- 
priming; then two coats oi color, sanding the 
third. Or, to make a better job, give the work 
four coats, sanding the two last, making live coats 
m all ; this makes a Xo. 1 job. The preference 
Is given to the hand-sander, for throwing in 
the sand. You can mix any shade desirable, 
and, by using the white sand, it will partake 
ot the color, with but little change of sliad.^; 
this makes a most beautiful tinish. For sand- 
ing dark colors, the common river sand will 
answer every purpose. 



Chinese Gloss V/hite. 25 



SANDING WOOD-WORK. 

Give the work four couts of coloi-, KMiuliiit^ 
the third :iii(l (biirlh, milking in ull five coiits ; 
for you eiin not make ii good job wliort of four 
coats — although you can contract lor three 
coats, sanding the third only ; but it will not 
make a good hiiisli. 

In all cases, use boiled oil in sanding — 
especially in the coats which receive the sand ; 
and remember that raw oil will not hold the 
sand, it being too thin — but oil when properly 
boiled, thickens, and consequently the sand 
adheres to the work. The best drier for sand- 
ing colors, is boiled with the oil, using litharge, 
I'ed lead, and magnesia. 

Sanding is a very permanent and durable 
mode of painting, the sand protecting the paint 
from the weatlier, and making a most desirable 
finish, when skillfully handled. 

CHINESE GLOSS WHITE. 

This is used for inside painting, it generally 
giving the best satisfaction ; and, when well 
executed, it has a beautiful gloss finish. 

First, to prei)are the work, kill all the knots 
and pitch places — that is, in pine woods — 



26 The Practical Painier. 

which is done by using sheUac knot-killer; 
then mix the priming with one-half oil and 
one-half spirits of turpentine, with a strong 
portion of drier; if the pine is very pit<3hy, 
pour in about one-third knot-killer with the 
priming. Then give the three more coats of 
lead, mixed flat, with a good portion of patent 
drier. Let it dry hard ; then sand-paper well, 
and give one coat of zinc, mixed flat. In order 
to get pure zinc, buy it dry, and grind it very 
fine. Then give the work one coat of zinc — 
or, if two coats of lead will cover well over 
the priming, give two coats of zinc. Next, 
give the work a coat of zinc, with one-third 
Demar varnish ; and the last coat, or the var- 
nish coat, use a small quantity of zinc in the 
varnish, enough to make it a milk-color. This, 
if followed minutely, will give a very fine gloss. 

FRENCH PORCELAIN GLOSS WHITE. 

Proceed as above, in priming. Putty the 
work evenly and well, mixing it with one-half 
common putty, and the other half white lead ; 
this is called white lead putty. All defects 
should be filled very evenly, and when the 
priming is hard, use sand-paper thoroughly ; 
then mix the pamt flat or dead, and give the 



Chinese Gloss* 27 

work three coats of lead. Then apply the por- 
celain, giving the iirst coat with the clear por- 
celain, juixed with turpentine ; the next coat 
porcelain, with one-third Demar varnish ; and 
the last varnish coat, with a small portion of 
porcelain, enough to make it the color of milk. 
This, properly handled, is the most beautiful 
of all gloss finishes, and has a clear porcelain 
gloss white finish. 

EGG-SHELL GLOSS. 

This is a very common finish, and is done 
by killing the knots and pitch, then giving two 
coats of lead, and the third with zinc. To fin- 
ish, varnish with Demar, with a small portion 
of zinc in it. 

CHINESE GLOSS, FOR WALLS. 

In this, any tint can be given which is desir- 
able ; but it must be very delicately done. 
First, size the walls and ceiling, with a weak size 
of white glue — for, if too heavy, it is apt to peel. 
Then give the work two coats of color ; then 
one coat of the same, with one-third Demar 
varnish ; and in the last, or varnish coat, put 
in a small portion of the color. By using a 
email quantity of color in the varnish, streaks 



28 The Practical Painfer. 

are jiyo'uUhI. These colors nre all mixed in 
turpentine, and the gloss made with Demar 
varnish. To dry this work, use patent drier; 
if this can not be obtained, use sugar of lead, 
dissolving it in soft water. 

This is a most beautiful tinish, and is coming 
into use in most of the cities of the Uuion ; it 
giving the walls and ceilings a tine finish, which 
is easily kept clean, and can be washed at 
pleasure. It gives general satisfaction, and is 
very durable. The ceilings are mostly changed 
a ditlerent color. These colors are generally 
tinted very delicately, for the body of the work 
is generally very large; therefore the colors 
must be very light, for they will show deeper 
on walls than on wood-work. The shades 
mostly used are : pinks, bull's, delicate greens, 
cream-colors, and very light lilacs. Follow 
these instructions thoroughly, and you can not 
fail to succeed in your work; but neatness is 
required in all your work, and especial care to 
keep your colors clean, straining when required, 
both in common and m good work. A care- 
less painter never can produce a neat or good 
job. 



Tracing Windows. 29 

INSTRUCTION ON TRACING WINDOWS. 

First, trace the windows on the outside. To 
mix tracing color for white on the outside, use 
all oil ; in mixing the lead, make it quite heavy ; 
and the best way, if there is time, is to trace 
the sash on one side at a time. For tracing 
inside work, use tlie color mixed with one- 
fourth oil and three-fourths spirits of turpen- 
tine. The best way to handle sash is to take 
it out, if possible, and place it on a box, about 
knee-high ; then take the sash in the left hand, 
with the edge on the box, and lean it a little 
forward; draw the sash with a firm hand, 
being careful not to touch the glass. Various 
colors are used in tracing outside — red, made 
of American vermilion ; another of Venetian 
red and red lead ; and still another, bordering 
on wine-color, made of Indian red, with a small 
quantity of white lead ; another color, bronze 
green, composed of chrome yellow, chrome 
green, and black. Some use a bronze green 
made of yellow ochre and black ; but it is not 
brilliant enough for tracing. There is a fine 
brown bronze color, used for tracing, made of 
burnt umber, Venetian red, and a small quan- 
tity of chrome yellow. A tracing for mahog- 
any is made by priming with white lead, 



30 The Practical Pa infer, 

charged with red lead, and traced with burnt 
sienna in boiled oil ; and a cherry color is made 
by mixing Venetian red and chrome yellow 
with a very small quantity of white lead. 

TO PAIXT VENETIAN BLINDS. 

Paris green has always been the standard 
color for blinds, but workmen dislike to use it, 
because of its poisonous effect upon the sys- 
tem ; and, at the same time, it is a very hard 
color to use. It should be ground fine, in boiled 
oil that has a sufficient quantity of drier boiled 
in it. First, the blinds should be primed with 
lead color, mixed so as to dry hard ; sand-paper 
well. The blinds should have three coats of 
Paris green, to make a finished job, mixed 
invariably with boiled oil. Patent drier is 
good to use with the color, for Paris green is 
very hard to make dry, and also to keep from 
running ; it also requires great care in spread- 
ing it evenly. Sometimes but two coats are 
given over the priming. This green is quite 
transparent ; it stands well, and holds its color 
in the weather. In painting blinds, some put 
a little water on the top of the color, to pre- 
vent the brush from snarling up ; which is a 
good idea. 



Priming and Glazing Sash, 31 

The next best green in use is the Hampden, 
or permanent green. There are various branda 
and diiferent shades of this green ; it covers 
well, and works very freely ; it is used a great 
deal in painting blinds, it being pliable and 
very soft. Give the work one coat of lead 
color, sand-paper well, and putty up all defects ; 
then give the work two coats of green, mixed 
in boiled linseed oil, drier, etc. The green 
should be ground very fine. It gives good 
satisfaction, is quite durable, and is generally 
used ; it being quite easy to make a nice job 
with it. 

There are other colors used in painting blinds, 
but there is nothing equal to green for this pur- 
pose. Bufis do very well for those that admire 
light colors. Some use a flesh-color; others, 
vermilion — but this is only used on steamboats, 
or something of that kind. 

PRIMING AND GLAZING SASH. 

In priming sash, be careful to do the work 
thoroughly — especially where the putty is run 
on ; some leave that part of the sash, thinking 
that the putty will cover it. When the sash is 
not well primed, the oil will soak off the putty 
in the wood \ and, by standing in the weather, 



32 The Practical Painter, 

will crack, and fall out. It is a neat thing to 
be a good glazier, and can only be learned by 
practice ; but can soon be acquired by observa^ 
tion and practice. 

FLOOR PAINTING. 

There is a great mistake made in mixing 
floor-colors. Many, after finishing up their 
house-work, take the colors that are left, and 
paint the floors ; which is entirely wrong. 
Others will persist in using boiled oil for floors, 
claiming that it dries harder than raw oil ; but 
the reverse is the case. It will have the ap- 
pearance of drying faster, but it will not be 
hard, by any means ; it can not be used for a 
long time, as it will show tracks, and catch a 
great deal of lint and dirt, thus spoiling the 
work, and making it almost impossible to do a 
good job over it. The best way to mix floor- 
color is to grind, in raw linseed oil, 5 pounds 
of yellow ochre, 2|- pounds of litharge, a small 
quantity of Venetian red, and 2|- pounds of 
white lead ; grind fine, and add a strong por- 
tion of Japan drier, so the work will dry hard. 
Give three coats, giving it time to dry hard 
between each coat. If the floor is to be var- 
nished, the paint should be mixed with one- 



Grinding Colors. 33 

half oil and one-half turpentine, with plenty 
of Japan drier ; give three coats, and one 
coat of the best copal varnish. If these 
instructions are followed, the paint will wear 
well, and give good satisfaction. 

There are other floor-colors that can be used 
by grinding litharge in them. Red lead and 
umber are good colors for floor-painting ; both 
are good colors to dry hard. I have often 
been called upon to paint floors over, that have 
been painted badly ; and a sorry job I found 
it. Therefore, remember, what is worth doing 
at all, is worth doing right. 

PAmXING TIN ROOFS. 

The best, and, in fact, the only correct way, 
to paint tin roofs, is to mix the paint of metal- 
lic, fire-proof or mineral paint; and next to 
these is Venetian red ; but in no case use white 
lead — and especially next to the tin — for it 
has chemicals in it that corrode the tin, and 
soon eat or rust the roof, or any other tin-work 
painted with it ; but the mineral and metallic 
paints, when ground in oil, last well. 



34 ^>^^ Practical Painter. 

GRINDING COLORS. 

It is positively necessary to grind all colors 
that are used. In the first place, if colors are 
ground fine, they will go farther, and are not 
80 liable to run, after being put on ; for the oil 
and color will mix much better, and the paint 
is more durable. I speak of these advantages 
in grinding colors, because most painters hold 
that it is unnecessary to grind most colors ; but 
the trade can judge for themselves. 

OF COLORS, TINTS, HUES AND SHADES. 

To understand these terms, a short explana- 
tion will not be inappropriate. 

Color is an elementary phenomenon in na- 
ture, adapted to the sense of vision ; a phe- 
nomenon which, like all others, exhibits itself 
by separation and contrast, by commixture and 
union, by augmentation and neutralization, by 
communication and dissolution. Under these 
general terms, its nature may be at least com- 
prehended. Although there are but few dis- 
tinct colors, there is an infinite variety of tints, 
hues, and shades. 

The word tint is applied to colors, in rela- 
tion to their lightness — or, in other words, 



Colors^ Tints ^ Hues^ etc. 35 

their graduations from the most perfect or 
intense state, to that in which the color is lost, 
and white is obtained. 

By shade is meant the relation of colors to 
darkness ; or, their graduation from the most 
perfect state to that in which they approach 
nearly to black. 

Sue is the aspect of any color, not being a 
primary, as changed by an alteration, in the 
proportion of its compounds. A primary 
color — that is, either red, yellow, or blue — 
may vary in tint or shade ; but it can not in 
hue, for the addition of any other color will 
entirely change, and give it another name. The 
colors formed by the union of the primaries 
may be changed, almost without end, by mix- 
tures in various proportions ; so that their hues 
are innumerable. Orange, for example, is 
composed of yellow and red, and according 
to the predominance of one of these over the 
other, so will be its hue ; and green may, in 
the same manner, vary from that which is most 
yellow, to that which is most blue. The more 
compound the color in its formation, the greater 
will be its hues. 

Although a great variety of colors are made 
and used by painters, they may all be formed, 



^6 The Practical Painter. 

and of any line, tint, or shade, from the three 
simple colors — red, yellow and blue. 

To illustrate the principles of harmony, as 
exhibited by colors, both in succession and in 
composition, for instance, take the three primi- 
tive colors — red, yellow and blue. If placed 
in contact, it would not be satisfactory to the 
eye, but rather form a combination somewhat 
unpleasant. These three colors, however, are 
found in the prismatic spectrum, which is exhib- 
ited by nature, on a large scale, in the rainbow ; 
but they are not there in contact, for they are 
separated by the secoiuiary colors produced by 
the intermixture of the primaries — and these 
secondary coh^rs melodize the various charac- 
ters of the primaries, and cause the entire com- 
bination of colors to be harmonious. The 
secondaries are, in this instance, the melodizing 
colors ; and it will be instantly admitted that 
no combination, in nature or art, is more de- 
lightful to the eye, than that produced in 
the rainbow. This, then, is the harmony of 
successions ; and it essentially consists in so 
blending the two or more colors, not in them- 
selves harmonious, that the eye rests upon 
them with perfect satisfaction and pleasure. 
In the instance we have selected, the yellow 
is melodized by the greeu on one side, and the 



Colors y TintSy Hues, etc, 37 

orange on the other ; the blue, by the green and 
the purple ; and the red, by the purple and the 
orange. 

The harmonizing of colors is worthy of more 
attention than a mere matter of curiosity. 
From an investigation of the phenomena of 
colors, it has been discovered that when the 
eye is strongly impressed with a primitive ray, 
it has the power of producing the harmoniz- 
ing — or, as philosophers term it, the acci- 
dental — colors. This may be easily proven 
by experiment. If a red spot be painted on a 
white ground, and the eye be intently fixed 
upon it, a border of green color, after a short 
time, will appear to surround it ; if the spot be 
blue, the border will be orange ; and if yellow, 
it will be surrounded by purple. In each, the 
accidental color is presented, and all of the 
three homogeneous rays ; two of them, in com- 
position, are perceived. The experiment may 
also be made by turning the eye to a sheet of 
•A^hite paper, after it has been intensely fixed 
on the colored spot; for the accidental color, 
sometimes called the ocular spectrum, will then 
appear. 

Another curious experiment may be here 
mentioned, as evidently resulting from the 
peculiar action of the eye, in producing ocular 



38 The Practical Painter, 

spectra. Take any object with a sharp outline, 
and suspend it before a screen of white paper, 
so that, by placing two candles in a convenient 
situation, two images of the same object may 
be formed, with nearly the same degree of 
strength. Then place before one of the can- 
dles a piece oi green glass, of a deep hue, and 
a most curious phenomenon will be observed ; 
for one of the images will become red, and the 
other will appear green, which is the comple- 
mentary color. 

The subject of the harmony of colors is of 
the utmost importance to the practical painter, 
and, therefore, should not be lightly treated. 
A complete harmony of colors can not be ob- 
tained, without regard to the tints. A slight 
retiection will convince the reader that, how- 
ever well two colors may be chosen as to hue, 
tliey can not be in harmony, if their tints be 
disregarded. 

I would say here, that the choice of colors 
greatly depends on the mental characteristics 
of communities. The French, and other na- 
tions, distinguished by a lively and energetic 
spirit, prefer intense and active coh^rs. The 
English and German, who are sedate and 
thoughtful, select those which are more quiet 
and retiring ; while the Spaniards and Italians, 



Remarks^ Etc, 39 

who are anxious to maintain a becoming grav- 
ity and dignity, and yet possess much energy 
of mind, and great elasticity of spirit, enij)loy 
briglit colors on the passive side. Taking all 
of these views,, the painter should study care- 
fully tlie different colors, hues, and shades, so 
as to accomplish his work in a harmonious 
manner, and thus please his customers. 

REMARKS, SHOWING THAT PAINT WILL 
NOT STAND ON DAMP WORK. 

Perhaps it is well to remark here, that no 
surface is in a fit state to receive paint, which 
is not perfectly dry. This is a fact universally 
acknowledged by all painters, and yet, in prac- 
tice, strangely neglected. It is not an uncom- 
mon thing to see painting, in good rooms, 
blistered by the injudicious application of color 
before they are perfectly dry ; and this so fre- 
quently happens, that it is almost impossible to 
avoid the conclusion tliat, in many instances, 
the painter has been induced to commence his 
work, merely for the sake of obtaining an 
engagement, and making a profit, without 
regard to the ultimate injury inflicted upon his 
employer. It is quite easy to tell whether the 
paint is perfectly dry ; but it is not always pos- 



40 The Practical Painter, 

sible to determine whether the wood-work has 
been sufficiently seasoned. The eifect will, in 
this case, be damaging to the painting. The 
surface of the material, whether it be wood or 
plaster, being covered with paint, the moisture 
which is contained within it is prevented from 
escaping — for it is impervious; it will, there- 
fore, after a short time, force up the paint from 
the surface it covers, blisters w411 be formed, 
and the paint will peel off, to the great perma- 
nent detriment of the work. This will be 
especially the case when it is exposed to the 
direct rays of the sun ; but, under all circum- 
stances, the painter must be cautious about 
commencing his work upon a substance which 
contains any degree of moisture. Instances of 
the effect produced by a disregard of this pre- 
caution, might easily be adduced ; but to any 
person who has paid any attention to the sub- 
ject, this is unnecessary. 

RULES FOR MEASURING PAINTERS' WORK, 
AND BILL OF PRICES FOR PAINTING 
AND GLAZING. 

(1.) Plain cornices and boxing of 2 feet 9 
inches girth, measure 3 feet. 

(2.) Cornices, block or dentile, that girt 1 
foot, measure three feet girth. 



B ill of Prices. 4 1 

(3.) In all cases where there is block or 
dentile work, the measurement obtained by 
drawing the tape straight across should be 
multiplied by three. 

(4.) Cornices, block and dentile, otherwise 
ornamented, if 2 feet girth or upwards, to girth 
from 6 to 12 feet. 

(5.) Dormant cornices to measure the same 
as above, according to the ornaments. Cor- 
nices on porticoes and frontispieces the same. 

(6.) Barge boards, water spouts, and gutters, 
to girth 3 feet. 

(7.) Paling and railed gates, measure and a 
half; that is, three heights, besides girthing 
the rails and posts of the railing, if done with 
one color, but if trimmed with another color, 
one foot extra. 

(8.) All stone facias, window and door 
arches, sills, ^\ feet girth. 

(9.) Window and door frames, in and out- 
side, that do not girth 9 inches, to measure 1 
foot ; and where they measure 1 foot and 7 or 
8 inches, to be called 2 feet girth. 

(10.) Venetian shutters, double the measure 
of plain work. 

(11.) Square picket fence, if 3 feet high, 
should be called 9 feet high ; that is, one yard 
to the foot. 



42 TJie Practical Paint en 

(12.) Window bars shall be measured square ; 
window sash the same, if done with one color, 
but if done with two they shall be double 
measure. 

(13.) Corner strips on frame houses, if 
painted with a different color from the weather- 
b' ards, to girth one foot. 

(14.) Windows that have four lights in them 
can be measured by drawing the tape straight 
across, both in length and breadth. 

(15.) Hough weather-boarding and old roofs, 
double measure. 

(16.) Oiling and penciling on brick work 
shall be measured square ; and on dead walls, 
from one-fifth to one-third added to the measure- 
ment. 

(17.) Plain cornices, including chimney, 
door and window caps, 1 foot 6 inches girth ; 
cornices ornamented, 3 feet girth; if richly 
ornamented, from 4 feet 6 inches to 9 feet 
girth. 

(18.) Balusters (either in or outside) to be 
measured three sides ; if the hand rail is 
capped with a different color, one foot more to 
be added. 

(19.) Corner strips, corner beads, and single 
architraves, that do not giilh a foot, to be 



Bill of Prices. 43 

allowed one foot, and double architraves from 
1 to 2 feet girth. 

(20.) Pilasters shall be allowed from 1 to 6 
feet girth. 

(21.) String boards to girth from 2 to 6 feet. 

(22.) Wash boards, on staircases, to girth 
1 foot 6 inches ; if capped with another color, 
6 inches to be added. 

(23.) Base and surbase, plain, if done with 
one color, to girth 1 foot ; if two colors, 1 foot 
6 inches each. 

(24.) Base and surbase, ornamented, 2 feet; 
if capped, 2 feet 6 inches each. 

(25.) Panels to be allowed 2 inches in height 
and breadth for each panel ; but if the panels 
are done with one color and stiles of another, 
measure and a half; if the mouldings are done 
with another color, double measure. 

(26.) Edges of plain shelves, 3 inches girth; 
beaded or otherwise, from 3 to 6 inches girth. 

(27.) Painting on plastering shall be 
measured square, and the openings deducted ; 
making suitable allowance for cutting edges, 
and from one-fifth to one-third added to the 
measurement. 

(28.) Painting frame houses that are boarded 
up and down and cleated, also all work that is 
cleated, should be counted, and 2 inches to the 
cleat be added to the solid measurement. 



44 Th£. Practical Painter, 

(29.) All picked out work to be valued 
according to trouble. 

(30.) All work not herein expressed, to be 
measured according to the judgment of the 
measurer. 

PRICES OF PAINTING AND FURNISHING 
THE PAINTS. 

Common colors, such as Wliite, Yellow, Slate, Straw, 
or Creum — 

For one coat (per square yard) IS)-^ cts. 

" two coats " 25 " 

" three " " oTi^ " 

" t\)ur " " 50 " 

For one coat Brown or Chocolate color 10 " 

" two coats " " " 30 

" three " " " " 80 " 

» four " " " •' 40 " 

For one coat, Dark Blue or Chrome Yellow. .14 " 
'* two coats " *' " " ..28 " 

" three " " " " " ..40 " 

" four " " " " " ..52 " 

For one coat of Dark Green color 15 " 

*' two coats " ** " 80 " 

" three " " " " 42 " 

" four *' " " " ...55 " 

For two coats of Paint and one of Sand 35 " 

" three " " two " 50 " 

" four " " " " 05 " 

Fancy colors add in proportion to the cost of the 

colors. 

For Oiling- and Penciling Brick 23 cts. 

Where the painter ck-ans and putties new work, lie 

shall be allowed 5 per cent. ; when he only putties, he 

shall receive 3 per cent. 



Bill of Prices, 45 

RULES FOR MEASURING, AND BILL OF 
PRICES FOR PAINTING ON BRICK, ETC. 

All painting on brick shall be mcaHurcd 
square, and the openings deducted; that is, 
the actual opening which the sash or door 
occupies, allowing the thickness of the door or 
window frame to make up the reveals. If the 
frames or reveals are of an uncommon thick- 
ness or depth, a proper allowance shall be 
made by the measurer. If the stone or brick 
caps or arches are or are not of the same 
color as the wall, there shall be no change from 
the above rule, but if they are painted with a 
different color, they shall be called from one to 
two feet girth, the price to be according to 
color and number of coats. 

If the stone sills are done with a different or 
with the same color as the walls, they shall be 
called from one to two feet girth, according 
to the color and number of coats. Stone or 
brick facias, and water tables, if done with the 
same color as the wall, shall be measured in 
with it, but if painted with a different color, 
they shall be measured the same as the stone 
sills, etc. 

N.B. — No reference is to be had to the 
above rules for measuring stone facias, etc., 
where the walls are not painted. 



46 TJie Practical Painter. 

PRICES. 

Common colors, sucli as White, Yellow, Straw, Slate, 
Pearl or Cream — 

For one coat (per square yard) . . .from 12)^ to 15 cts. 
" two coats, " " 23 to 25 " 

" three '* " " 33 to 36 " 

Brown or Chocolate color — 

For one coat (per yard) from 10 to 12)^ cts. 

" two coats " " 20 to 25 " 

" three " " " 30 to 35 " 

Dark Green, Blue, or Chrome Yellow — 
For one coat (per square yard) . . . from 15 to 20 cts. 
" two coats " " 30 to 35 " 

" three " " " 40 to 45 " 

When the employer furnishes material, the 
price thereof shall be deducted from the bill. 



PKICES OF GLAZING. 

Prices for glazing new sash and furnishing putty — 

8 by 10 (per light) 4 cts. 

9 or 10 by 12 " 63^ " 

10 by 14 or 15 *• 8 " 

11 by 15 " 9 " 

11 by 16 " 10 ♦• 

12 by 16 or 18 " 12^^ *' 

14 by 20 " 16 " 

16 by 22 " 20 " 

When the glazier furnishes the glass, the 
usual retail price shall be charged ; if there is 
a percentage taken from the bill, the charge 
for the glass shall not be subject to it. 



Bill of Prices. 47 

PRICES FOR GLAZING OLD SASH 

8 by 10 (per light) 15 cts. 

9 or 10 by 12 " 20 " 

10 by 14 or 16 " 25 " 

11 by 15 " 313^" 

llbyie " 35 " 

12 by 16 or 18 " 50 " 

14 by 20 " 100 " 

16 by 22 " 135 " 

16 by 24 " 150 " 

16 by 28 " 200 " 

All larger lights charged in pro23ortion to 

the size and the cost of the glass ; double 

thickness would average one-fourth higher. 

When the glass is furnished, the usual retail 

price shall be deducted from the above rates ; 

if a percentage is taken off, the charge for the 

glass shall not be subject to it. When the 

glazier beds the glass, one-half shall be added 

to the bill. 

PRICES OF PAINTING WINDOW BLINDS, 
THREE COATS. 

For 8 by 10 window $1 50 

" 10 by 12 " 2 00 

" 10 by 16 " 2 25 

" 12 by 18 " 2 77 

Larger sizes in proportion. 

Price of painting cloth window shades where 
the cloth is furnished, 50 cents per square yard ; 
where the painter furnishes, the price of the 



4.8 



The Practical Painter, 



cloth IS charged extra ; and where borders are 
run, the charges must be according to the 
amount of work put on. 

HOW TO CHARGE FOR GRAINING. 

Charge according to the following rule, no 
matter what the number of coats: 

For priming coat (per square yard) W;^ ets. 

" second " " " VIH " 

" third '* " '* 12i| " 

" graining " " " Viy^ " 

" shading or glossing coat " 121^ " 

" varnisiiing " 15 '* 

" « « IK a 

The above are the prices for each separate 
coat. Graining is generally turned off with two 
coats of color, then grained, shaded, and var- 
nished, making five coats, which, you see by 
the above prices, will amount to 'ob cents per 
square yard ; but the charge must be made 
according to the number of coats. 

PRICES OF GLOSSING. 

For priming (per yard) IS^-^ cts. 

" second coat " 123^ " 

" third " » 12i| " 

" varnish color zinc (per yard) 15 " 

" varnish creamed * " 15 " 

" varnisli clear coat " 15 " 

Egg-shell gloss is 4 coats. 

Ccnimion " 5 " 

Extra " 6 " 



Bill of Prices, 



49 



PRICES FOR CALCIMINING 

For one coat (per square) 80 cts. 

" two coats " 125 " 

"Where ceilings and walls have to be washed, 

30 cents per square should be added to the 

above prices. 

PRICES FOR HANGING WALL PAPER. 

For hanging common paper (per roll) 25 cts. 

satin " " 30 " 

" " bronze " " 40 " 

" « gilt " " 50 " 

Where walls should be sized, charge 5 cents 
extra per roll ; and where the ceilings should 
be scraped, charge for the time it takes to do 
the work. 

PRICES FOR SIGN PAINTING. 



Rates for gilt signs on boards : 



1 inch 


(per letter) . 


. 6 cts. 


13 i 


ncl: 


2 " 




.10 




14 




3 " 




.15 




15 




4 " 




.20 




16 




5 « 




.25 




17 




6 « 




.30 




18 




7 " 




.35 




19 




8 « 




.45 




20 




9 " 




.55 




21 




10 " 




.65 




22 




11 " 




.75 




23 




12 « 




.85 




24 





13 inches (per letter) $1 00 
1 10 
120 
130 
140 
150 
160 
170 
1 80 
1 90 
3 00 
210 



so 



The Practical Painter, 



If condensed letters, deduct one-tliird from 
the above rates; if shaded with one color, add 
one-eisrhth to the above rates. 



If shaded with two colors, add % to the above rates. 
" " three " 

" " four " 






If smalted or sanded, add the cost of the 

Bmalt or sand. The above rates are exclusive 

of the cost of the boards. 

To signs on bare stone work, add 3^ 
" " " painted stone work or wood, add % 

UPRIGHT GILT SIGNS ON BOARDS. 
From and under 1 foot to 18 inches (per line) 62i^ cts. 



18 inches to 3 feet 

2 feet to 2K 
2K feet to 3 

3 feet to 31^ 
31^ feet to 4 



100 
125 



The above rates are exclusive of the cost of 

boards. 

If on bare stone columns, add f ^. 

If on wooden or painted stone columns, add 3^. 

If shaded, observe the rule for it. 

RATES FOR COMMON OR PAINTED SIGNS. 



Under 4 feet 


..$0 75 


From 20 to 25 feet. 


.|5 00 


From 4 to 6 feet. . 


.. 1 00 


" 25 to 30 " . 


. 6 50 


" 6 to 10 " . . 


.. 2 00 


" 30 to 35 " . 


. 8 00 


" 10 to 15 " . . 


.. 3 00 


" 35 to 40 " . 


. 900 


" 15 to 20 *' . . 


..4 00 







Bill of Prices, 



SI 



If more than one line on the same sign, for 
each line after the first, half price. 

If shaded 1 color, add }^ If shaded 3 colors, add J^ 
" " 3 colors, " >^ " " 4 " " y^ 



UPRIGHT SIGNS ON BOARDS, PAINTED 
LETTERS. 



From and under 1 foot to 18 inches (per lir 


le) ..20ct9. 


** 18 inches to 2 feet 




..25 " 


" 2 feet to %% feet 




..30 " 


" 23^ feet to 8 " 




..35 " 


" 3 feet to 31^ " 




..40 " 


" 33^ feet to 4 " 




..45 " 


If shaded, observe 


the rule for it. 





PAINTED SIGNS ON STONE OR WOODEN 
FRONTS, 

Signs (painted letters) on wooden or stone 
fronts, immediately above the doors, to be 
charged the same as painted signs on boards 
up to 25 feet. 

From 25 to 30 feet $6 00 

♦• 30 to 35 " 7 00 

" 35to40 " 800 

Signs on brick walls, or weather-boarding, 
same rates as on boards, the lettering and 
ground work to be charged for in addition by 
the square yard, at the rates mentioned in the 



52 The Practical Painter, 

list of prices, but no percentage is to be de- 
ducted. 



PAINTED SIGNS ON STONE OR WOODEN 
COLUMNS. 

Under 2 feet wide (first line) $0 75 

From 2 to 3 feet " 1 00 

" 3 to 4 " " 1 25 

Each succeeding line, half price. 
If shaded, observe the rule for it. 

RATES FOR JAPAN TIN SIGNS, GILT. 

10 by 14 (first line) $1 00 

Each succeeding line 50 

12K by 17 (first line) 125 

Each succeeding line 75 

14 by 20 (first line) 1 50 

Each succeeding line 1 00 

Boarding signs 50 to 75 cts. 

Any intermediate size to be charged the 
same as that size immediately above it. For 
shading, observe the same rules as for large 
gilt signs. When both sides are lettered, 
deduct one-half the price of the tin from the 
above rates. 

Japan tin signs, painted letters, one-half of 
the above rates. 

Common or painted tin signs, one-third of 
the above rates. 



Bill of Prices. 



53 



" 2 




3 




" 3 




4 




" 4 




5 




" 5 




6 




" 6 




8 




" 8 




10 




« 10 




12 




" 13 




14 





SINGLE GILT NUMBERS OR LETTERS. 

From 1 inch to 2 inches (each) 8 cts. 

12K" 

16 " 

20 " 

25 " 

37K" 

f 50 " 

62K" 

75 " 

Single painted numbers or letters, one third 
of the foregoing rates. 

PAINTED LABELS ON JARS, BOTTLES, OR 
DRAWERS. 

One line, plain 12^^ cts. 

Two lines, " 18^ " 

Fancy scroll 25 " 

For gilt labels, add the cost of the leaf, and 
two cents each for laying it. 

SPOUT HEADS, GILT. 



Small size (each) ... $0 50 
Square " » ... 75 
Round, common size 1 00 



Round, large size . . .$1 25 

Largest " ... 1 50 

" extra gilding 1 75 



SPOUT HEADS, NOT GILT. 

Small size (each) 25 cts. 

Middle" " 50 " 

Large " " 75 " 

If smalted, add the cost of the smalts and 

two cents extra. 



54 The Practical Painter, 



CANNISTERS, PLAIN PAINTED. 

Round, common size 37i< cts. 

Square, " " 37>^ " 

larsre " 50 to 75 " 



GILT. 

Round, common size 50 cts. 

Square " " 50 " 

" Iar2:c " 75 " 

Largest siz'e, from |1 00 to |2 00 

The above is the Pittsburgh bill of prices 
for sign work. In the west, painters are in the 
habit of charging for signs by the letter, with 
the cost of the board and cost of painting ; ou 
signs averaging 12 to 16 feet, it is worth from 
25 to 30 cents per coat. 

PRICES OF PLAIN SIGNS. 

From 3 inches to 4 inches (per letter) 5 eta 

" 4 " to 6 " " 10 " 

« 6 " to 10 " " 15 " 

" 10 " to IS " " 25 « 

PRICES OF SHADED SIGNS. 

From 2 inches to 4 inches (per letter) 7 cts. 

" 4 " to " " 121^" 

" 6 " to 10 " " 20' " 

" 10 " to IS " " ...30 to 35 " 

Extra fancy signs " . . .40 to 50 " 

For smalted signs, add the price of the 



Bill of Prices. 55 

smalt, and five cents for cutting in and smalt- 
ing. 

Poster sij^ns (per letter) 2^^ to 5 cts 

Show-window cards (apiece) from 50 cts. to |1 00 

PRICES FOR LETTERING ON GLASS. 

Painted letters, plain (per Ictter)- 

Froin 2 inches to 4 inches 10 cts. 

" 4 " to 6 " 121^" 

" 6 " to 10 " 20 " 

Painted letters, shaded (per letter) — 

From 2 inches to 4 inches 123^ cts. 

» 4 " to f) " 15 " 

" 6 " to 10 " 25 " 

Fancy or ornamental, from 6 to 10 inches, 30 to 35 eta 



PRICES OF GILT LETTERS ON GLASS. 

From 2 to 4 inches (per letter) 40 cts, 

" 4 to 6 " " 50 " 

" 6 to 10 " " ...75 cts. to $1 00 

For fancy ornamented, charge extra one third. 



PRICES FOR PAINTING BARBER POLES. 

Small door poles, ft-om $1 75 to $2 00 

Lar^re poles, 15 feet in length 3 00 to 5 00 

Small fancy 2 50 to 3 50 

Large " 6 00 to 9 00 



S6 



The Practical Painter, 



ARTISTS' COLORS. 

OIL COLORS IN PATENT COLLAPSIBLE TUBES. 



Antwerp blue, 

Aspluiltum, 

Bistre, 

Bitumen, 

Blue black, 

Black lead. 

Bone brown. 

Brown ochre, 

Brown pink, 

Brown red, 

Burnt umber, 

Burnt Roman ochre. 

Burnt sienna. 

Burnt Veronese green, 

Caledonian brown, 

Cappah brown, 

Cassel earth, 

Chinese blue, 

Chrome yellow, 

deep, 

orange, 

green, 1, 2 and 3, 

Cdpal Megilph, 
Cologne earth, 
Cork black, 
Crenmitz white, 
Crimson lake. 
Emerald green, 
Flake white, 
Gamboge, 
Indian brown, 
Indian lake 
Indian red, 
Indigo, 

Itilian ochre, • 

Italian pink, 
Italian red. 
Ivory black 



King's yellow, 

Lamp black, 

Liglit red, 

Lima yellow, 

Meglip, 

IMummy, 

Naples yellow (light), 

(deep). 

Neutral tint. 

New blue, 

Nottingham white, 

Olive lake, 

Orpiment, 

Oxford ochre, 

Payne's grey. 

Patent yellow. 

Permanent wiiite, 

Pern\ani'nt blue, 

Prussian blue, 

Persian red, 

Prussian brown, 

Purple lake, 

Pyne's Meglip, 

Raw sienna. 

Raw umber, 

Roman ochre, 

Scarlet lake. 

Sugar of lead, 

Terre verte, 

Terre rose, 

Transparent golden ochre, 

Vandyke brown, 

Venetian red, 

Verdigris, 

Verona brown, 

Yellow lake. 

Yellow ochre, 

Zinc white. 



Artists' Colors, 



57 



Burnt lake, 
Cerulean blue, 
ChinesQ vermillion, 
French vermillion, 
Vermillion, 
Brown madder, 
Citron yellow, 
Cobalt, 

Extract of vermillion, 
French ultra marine, 
French Veronese green, 
Indian yellow, 
Maddar lake. 
Malachite green, 
Marr brown, 

■ red, 

violet, 

yellow. 

Mineral grey, 
Oxide of cliromium, 
Ditto, transparent. 
Pink maddar. 
Rose maddar. 



Ruben's maddar, 
Scarlet vermillion, 
Strontian yellow. 



Burnt carmine, 
Carmine yellow, 
Carmine, No. 2, 
Extra malachite green. 
Factitious ultra marine 
Maddar carmine. 
Lemon yellow, 
Mars carmine, 
Orange vermillion, 
Viridian, 
Violet carmine. 



Aureolin, 

Carmine, 

Purple maddar. 

Ultra marine ash. 

Extra maddar carmine 

(bright). 
Ditto ditto (deep). 



CAKE AND MOIST WATER-COLORS. 



Antwerp blue, 
Bistre, 
Blue black, 
British ink. 
Brown ochre, 
Brown pink, 
Bronze, 

Burnt Roman ochre. 
Burnt sienna. 
Burnt umber, 
Chrome yellow, 
Cologne earth. 
Deep chrome. 
Dragons blood, 



Emerald green. 

Flake white. 

Gamboge, 

Hooker's green, No. 1, 

Hooker's green, No. 3, 

Indigo, 

Indian red, 

Italian pink. 

Ivory black, 

King's yellow, 

Lamp black. 

Light red, 

Naples yellow, 

Neutral tint, 



ss 



The Practical Pai )ilcr. 



No>Y Miio, 
Olivo liTirn, 

l\iym''s liTi'v, 
rnissiaii blue, 
rrnssiau linrn, 
l\;nv sitMina, 
Kaw uinbiT, 
Koa load, 
\\(\\ oc\\\\\ 
l\(>man lU'liro, 
!Sai> ii'iMMi, 
Torro vorto. 
Vamlyko brown, 
Voiu'tiaii red, 
Verditor, 
Vi'nnilluni, 
\rlKMv lako, 
Yi'lKnv cH'hre, 
IMack load, 
l^rtnvu niaddar, 
C'halon's brtnvii, 
Chiiu-so whito. 
Ocnistant whito, 
Crimson lako, 
Indian voUow, 
JVlirs vol low, 
!Nontral iM"ani:je, 
Tnrplo lako, ' 
Koman sopia, 

AVholo cakos oach, half 
Ciich, moist puns or tubes 



Ivonbon's maddar, 
8oarlot vormilliou, 
Si>pia, 
Warm sopia. 



Cobalt blue, 
(>ran>;o vi'r million, 
N'ioK't oarmino. 



Auroolin, 

Fronoh blue (or French 

ultra n\arine), 
Croi>n oxide of chromium, 
hulian purple. 
Intense blue, 
liOnuMi vt'llow, 
Pink maddar, 
Kose maddar. 



Hurnt oarmino, 

C^idmium }olU)W, 

Carmine, 

Callstoiie, 

jMaddar oarmino, 

Mars in'anu:e, 

Pin-e sea riot, 

Purple maddar, 

Smalt, 

Vltra mariiu^ ash. 

Genuine ultra marina 
cakes each, one-fourth cakes 
each. 



Painters' Colors, 



59 



LIST OF PAIxVTERB* COLOItS IN OIL OK 

DRY. 



W/riTKS. 

WJiitc loud in oil, 
Zinc, 
Dry zinc, 
i>)ry loud, 
Fluko white, 
Paris wliito, 
Hjwnish vvhitonin^f, 
Amoricun w hi toning. 

Greens. 

Paris groon, 
CJjrorno groon, 
Jiif>orniu groon, 
Vordigri:s groon, 
Poooru groon, 
Hurnpdon groon, 
Pormunont groon. 

Yellowb. 

Chrorno yollow, 
Gurnbogo, 
Fronf;h ochre, 
Htone ochre, 
Yellow fx;hre, 
Poco ochre, 
Ruw sienna. 
Litharge. 

Browns. 

Vandyke brown, 
Burnt umber, 
Kaw urn bo r, 
Bpanish brown, 
Pocora nioUillic browns, 
Ohio firopr'-xjPhrown, 



Wiwcmsin fireproof brown 

PcKJJB. 

Chinosr; Vermillion, 
American vormillion, 

vormillion, 

Kngli-h vorjnillion, 

ii';'l h;5id. 
Light rod, 
Venetian red, 
Scarlet rod, 
Indian red, 
Burnt umber. 

Lakes. 

S'';arlet lake. 
Drop lake, 
iio.% pink. 

Bltjes. 

Prij-;.-:ian blue, 
(;itra marijjo blue, 
Permanent blue, 
Indigo blue. 

Flocks. 

Black flock, 
Ptod hr;arl':t flock. 
Light rf;d flock, 
Groon flock. 
Light groon flock. 
Ultra marine flock, 
Prussiiin blue flock, 
Brown flock, 
Yellow flock, 
Purple flock. 



6o 



The Practical Painter, 



Blacks. 

Drop black, 
Ivorv l)lack, 
Bhu' black, 
As]>haltuin black, 
GcnnantoAvn black, 
Lampblack black, 
Coiiimou black lead. 

Frostinqs. 
White frosting, 



Blue frosting. 
Green frosting, 
Parisian isinglass 

Smalts. 

Blue smalts or cobalt, 
Light and dark smalt, 
]>rown smalt, 
lUack smalt, 
Brown smalt, 
Bed smalt, 
Gray smalt. 



GENERAL PRODUCTION OF COLORS. 

MIXTURES FOR PRODUCING COLORS. 

The following colors are produced by mixing 
with white lead ; the different shades are the 
result of the addition of coloring pigments, in 
quantities according to fancy. The following 
coloring matter should be ground very line, 
to produce clear, delicate shades, and the 
utmost cleanliness in handling and grinding 
the colors should be observed. 

1. Drabs. — There a great variety of these, 
produced with the following colors : Chrome 
yellow, Germantown black, Venetian red ; or 
burnt umber, raw umber, or burnt sienna, with 
white, and a small quantity of yellow ochre. 

2. Brown /Stone. — Yellow ochre, Venetian 
red, with black, and sometimes a small quantity 
of white lead ; or, another, with mineral paint 



General Production of Colors, 6i 

of different shades, with yellow ochre and 
black, either with or without white lead. 

3. Gray Stone. — Germantown black, Vene- 
tian red, with white lead* 

4. American Green^ or Gray Stone. — Yel- 
low ochre, Germantown black, chrome green, 
with white lead ; or, another, raw umber, with 
a small quantity of yellow ochre, with white 
lead. 

5. French Gray. — Indian red, or vermillion, 
ultra marine blue, and drop black, with white 
lead. 

6. Slate. — Black, and Venetian red, with 
white lead. 

7. Sage. — Raw umber, Prussian blue, and 
Venetian red, with white. 

8. Dark Blue. — Prussian blue, with white 
lead. 

9. Light Blue. — Ultra marine, blue with 
white lead. 

10. Sky Blue. — Ultra marine blue, with 
white lead, and a small quantity of drop black. 

11. 'Violet. — Vermillion, ultra marine blue, 
and drop black, with white lead. 

12. Lilac. — Drop black, Prussian blue, and 
Indian red, with white lead. 

13. Peach Blossom. — Carmine, or Chinese 
vermillion, Prussian blue, with white lead or 



62 The Practical Painter, 

zinc. Will make a most delicate, clear color. 

14. JRose. — Crimson lake, with vermillion, 
"with white lead or zinc. 

15. Beautiful Kose color for Ornamenting. 
— Carmine lake and silver white. 

16. Salmon. — Chrome yellow and Indian 
red, or burnt sienna with white. 

17. Straio. — Yellow ochre, or chrome yel- 
low, and a small quantity of red lead, with 
white lead. 

18. Bi(jf. — Venetian red, stone ochre, or 
French ochre, with white lead. 

19. Cream Color. — Chrome yellow, with 
white lead. 

20. Pearl White. — Prussian blue, crimson 
lake, and drop black, with white lead. 

21. French White. — Indian red, drop black, 
and Chinese blue, with white lead. 

22. Tan Color. — Yellow ochre, Venetian 
red, ultra marine blue, and burnt sienna, with 
w^hite lead. 

23. Dove Color. — Germantowm black, and 
burnt sienna, with white lead. 

24. Pea Green. — Chrome permanent green, 
with white lead. 

25. Grass Green. — Chrome yellow, and 
Prussian blue, with a small quantity of chrome 
green. There are four greens : chrome green 



General Production of Colors, 6^^ 

(three shades), permanent green, verdigris 
green, and Paris green, which is very beauti- 
ful for blinds. 

26. Olive Green, — Chrome yellow, and 
black, or raw umber, yellow ochre, and German- 
town black. 

27. Bronze Green^ No. 1. — Yellow ochre, 
chrome green, with Germantown black. 

28. Bronze Green^ No. 2. — Chrome yellow, 
chrome green, and a small quantity of drop 
black. 

29. Chocolate Color. — Venetian red and 
Germantown black, with a small quantity of 
white lead. 

30. Lemon Color. — Lemon chrome yellow, 
with white lead. 

31. Orange Color. — Chrome yellow, Vermil- 
lion, and red lead. 

32. Amber. — Burnt umber, yellow ochre, 
and burnt sienna, with a small quantity of 

white lead. 

33. Snuff Color. — Burnt umber, yellow 
ochre, Venetian red, and Germantown black, 
with a little white lead. 

34. Drabs and Browns. — There are a variety 
of drab and brown colors made by mixing fire- 
proof, mineral and metallic paints with white 
lead and black ; they are the most common in 
use. 



64 The Practical Painter. 

35. Sea Green. — Yellow ochre, drop black, 
Prussian blue, with a small quantity of white 
lead. 

36. Leather Color. — Chrome yellow, red 
lead, black or burnt umber, with white lead. 

37. Flesh Color. — Chinese vermillion, light 
red, yellow ochre, with white lead. 

38. Gold Color. — Vermillion or red lead, 
chrome yellow, with white lead. 

39. Lead Color. — Germantown black and 
white lead; with zinc it makes a beautiful 
shade. 

40. Steel or Lron Color. — Germantown 
black, and a small quantity of droj^ lake, with 
white lead. 

41. Earth Color. — Venetian red, chrome 
green, chrome yellow, with white lead. 

The gradations of colors or shades are pro- 
duced by a varied portion of different colors 
added to the white lead in small quantities, 
and continued until the desired shade is pro- 
duced ; enough should be mixed at once to 
cov^er the entire job, as it is very difficult to 
get it twice the same color. 

The ten shades are produced from five colors, 
by mixing only two colors at a time. 

Black and white make a lead color. 

Black and red make a brown color. 



Burning Colors, 65 

Black and yellow make a bronze dark green 
color. 

Red and white make a flesh color. 
Red and yellow make an orange color. 
Red and blue make a purple color. 
White and yellow make a straw color. 
White and blue make a sky blue. 
Blue and black make a blue black. 
Blue and yellow make a green. 

BURNING COLORS. 

Take a pan deep enough to keep the color 
from flying out, which it is very apt to do 
when hot; then crush the raw sienna before 
burning. It is much better to burn it yourself 
than to buy of a druggist, because then you are 
sure it is pure, and you can make it light or 
dark as you please. To make a light red, 
burn good French or English ochre ; burn it 
the same as sienna, stirring all the time, so as 
to burn it even. You can burn lamp black, to 
take out the grease ; it works lighter and dries 
much better. If necessary, the painter can 
burn his own umber, which is done the same 
as sienna. The burning of colors is sometimes 
very convenient, when they can not be obtained 
at the store. It is better to burn the sienna 
yourself especially for graining mahogany. 
5 



66 The Practical Pa niter. 

GRAINING. 

Tlie art of grainini]: is one of the most beauti- 
ful connected with the business of house paint- 
iuix, and shouki be done with a firm hand and 
without fear; it should be studied from the 
natural wood, and to become a proficient in 
the art requires considerable power of imita- 
tion, and a great deal of study. The imitations 
are done both in oil and distemper, that is, 
water. 

MAHOGANY GROUND COLOR. 

White lead charged with red lead, chrome 
yellow, and a small amount of Venetian red. 
This color should be of a deep orange cast 

MAHOGANY GRAINING COLOR. 

Burnt sienna, with the centre darkened 
according to laucy with vandyke brown or 
burnt umber. 

WALNUT GROUND COLOR. 

White lead charged with Venetian red, and 
a small quantity of black or blue or burnt 
umber. This color should be a dark lilao or 
of reddish cast. 



Graining, 67 

WALNUT GRAINING COLOR. 

Burnt umber, burnt sienna, and a small 
quantity of Venetian red, with sometimes a 
little rose pink. 

MAPLE GROUND COLOR. 

White lead charged with a little Venetian 
red, and burnt umber. This should be tinged 
very light. 

MAPLE GRAINING COLOR. 

Raw umber, raw sienna (equal parts), with 
a little yellow ochre. 

ASH GROUND COLOR. 

White lead, charged with raw umber, and a 
email quantity of yellow ochre. 

• ASH GRAINING COLOR. 

Raw umber, raw sienna, with a little Venetian 
red. 

ROSEWOOD GROUND COLOR. 

Give the work two coats of Venetian red, 
very thin, and verniillion if required to be very 
brigiit. 



68 The Practical Painter. 

ROSEWOOD GRAINING COLOR. 

Rose pink, vandyke brown, with a small 
quantity of drop or Germantown black. 

DISTEMPER GRAINING. 

SATINWOOD GROUND COLOR. 

White charged with chrome yellow. This 
ground color should be a very light cream 
color. 

SATIN GRAINING COLOR, LIGHT. 

Take raw sienna, burnt umber, and some- 
times a little Indian red. 

SATINWOOD GRAINING COLOR, DARK. 

Take raw sienna, raw umber, and a little 
Vandyke brown. 

TULIP GROUND COLOR. 

White lead charged with burnt ochre, and a 
little yellow ochre. This should be a light 
flesh color. 

TULIP GRAINING COLOR. 

Rose pink or drop lake, with a small quantity 
of burnt sienna. 



Distemper Graining, 69 

WHITE WALNUT GROUND COLOR. 

White lead, charged with yellow ochre and 
Venetian red, colored to a light buff. 

WHITE WALNUT GRAINING COLOR. 
Vandyke brown, and a little raw umber. 

CEDAR GROUND COLOR. 

White lead charged with Indian red, and a 
small portion of chrome yellow. This should 
be a very bright flesh color. 

CEDAR GRAINING COLOR. 

Drop lake (or rose pink) with a little raw 
sienna. 

HAIRWOOD GROUND COLOR. 

White lead charged with yellow ochre, 
chrome green, and black, equal parts. This is 
a light dove color. 

HAIRWOOD GRAINING COLOR. 

Raw umber, and a small quantity of chrome 
green ; the over-grain, raw umber and raw 
sienna. 



7o The Practical Painter. 

GRAINING IN DISTE:\rPEIl OK AVATER 
COLORS. 

Graining colors shoiiKi be ground sep.iratcly, 
in small cups, and mixod witli v'^our boor on a 
piece ot* glass. They can also be ground in 
sotl water, or vinegar weakened ; a little gum 
arable should bo ywi witli the water, to make 
the coKu' hold to varnish. 

TO VARNISH AYATER-COLOR GRAINING. 

Give the work two coats of varnish, the first 
quite thin, and go over it rapidly ; the second 
coat can be put on very heavy. As a general 
thing, but two coats of varnish are given, but 
for furniture, where an extra gloss is required, 
give three coats. 

TO MIX GROUND COLOR FOR DISTEMPER 
GRAINING. 

Mix the color with two parts spirits tur]>en- 
tine, and one part linseed oil, with a suftioiont 
quantity oi Japan drier to dry hard. Tlie 
ground color should be a dead color. 

IMPLEMENTS USED IN DISTEMPER 
GRAINING. 

One badger hair blender, two over grainer8, 
three pieces of sponge, two small varnish 



Distemper Graining', *]i 

bru8?ieR in tin bindings, a buncli of briKtlos, 
and a pioce of cliarnoiH wkin ; and for awh, uho 
a graining comb. 

SHELLING. 

Give the work two coats of white lead, and, 
when dry, grain with roHC pink ground in Hour 
beer. Grain with a piece of putty ; cover the 
work with rose pink, then roll the putty in 
your handH, liolding one end, move the other 
up and down, thus forming shells which are 
very beautiful; blend very light after making 
the cuts; give two coats of varnish. Tliis is 
admirably adapted to boxes and other light 
work when executed with skill. 

TO GRAIN CURLY MAPLE. 

Take a piece of buckskin, wet in beer or 
water, stretch it over a piece of stiff* paste- 
board ; by working it up and down across the 
work, coarse or fine cuils will be produced; 
blend across the work softly ; wlien dry it is 
ready for varnishing. 

I have seen splendid imitations produced by 
the above colors in distemper. With a little 
care, the beginner can make a passable job, 
but some instruction in the use of tools is very 



72 The Pra ctical Pa in ter, 

necessary. The distemper colors, with a few 
lessons, cost me twenty-five dollars, and I have 
never regretted the money thus expended. 

OAK GRAINING. 

This is the standard of all imitations in 
wood, being chiefly used in house painting, car 
painting, etc. ; being done in oil, it is very 
difficult to manage. It can be done in dis- 
temper very w ell, but the preference is given 
to oil. 

WHITE OAK IN OIL 

This oak is grained in almost a white ground 
graining color, raw umber, with a little best 
yellow ochre, and Parish white or common 
whiting. 

WHITE OAK MEDIUM IN OIL. 

The ground should be a deep cream color; 
the graining color burnt umber, burnt sienna, 
best yellow ochre, with Paris white or common 
whiting. 

RED OAK IN OIL. 

This ground color should be a deep reddish 
flesh color ; tlie graining color is burnt sienna, 



Oak Ground Colors, 73 

burnt umber, and a small quantity of Venetian 
red, with Paris white or Spanish whiting; 
Paris white is always preferred. 

POLARD OAK IN OIL. 

This ground is a deep buff color, and the 
graining color burnt umber, burnt sienna, best 
yellow ochre, Paris white or Spanish whiting. 

OAK GROUND COLORS. 

The ground color is mixed with one half oil 
and one half spirits turpentine, with driers 
enough to dry it very hard, so that the combs 
will not cut, or the graining color strike in. 
In making the different ground colors, charge 
white lead with such colors as will produce 
the different shades to the respective oaks, 
from a tinged white to a very strong buff color. 

CHESTNUT GRAINING. 

This is becoming very fashionable, and is a 
beautiful grain ; it is done in oil the same as 
oak, but is more open, and without lights cut 
in it. It will eventually compete with oak as 
a standard graining. 



74 The Practical Painter, 

CHESTNUT GRAINING IN OIL. 

This ground should be a reddish buff color ; 
white lead charged with Venetian red, and the 
best yellow ochre. The graining color is burnt 
sienna, burnt umber, a small quantity of Vene- 
tian red and French ochre, with Paris white. 

INSTRUCTIONS IN MIXING OIL 
GRAINING COLOR. 

OAK GRAINING COLORS. 

First grind the Paris white or whiting in 
oil ; then grind the different colors separately, 
adding small portions of the colors to the white, 
until the desired shade is produced. For 
medium oak, a regular amber color is <iesir- 
able. The different proportions for oak grain- 
ing colors can only be ascertained by experi- 
ment ; use four parts linseed oil, two parts 
Bpirits of turpentine, two parts Japan drier ; 
this solution is mixed and rubbed on very thin, 
with a brush that is partly worn, for a new 
brush is too soft, and the color can not be 
rubbed out thin enough with it; then take 
four or five tablespoonfuls of painters' cream 
to the gallon of color; this is to make the 
graining color comb well, and to keep it from 



Instructions^ Etc, 75 

running together. Remember, these colors 
are to be mixed very thin, if you wish for a 
neat job. 

TOOLS USED IN GRATNING OAK. 

One set of steel graining combs, and four 
rubber combs, cut four different sizes out of 
rubber packing, such as is used for belting — 
that without threads is best ; and a soft piece 
of old cotton flannel, or old linen table cloth, 
is best to rub out the hearts with. 

GLAZING OR SHADING OAK. 

Take the same color you grained with, and 
put in the shades, burls and knots, and glaze 
the stiles with it. In glazing the stiles, rub 
out very thin ; in making a burl, take the 
brush and rub on the spot that you wish to 
put the burl, then take the cloth and rub out 
carefully. This shade is the most natural and 
the softest that can be produced, and thb 
best imitations can be produced with it ; but 
there is still another, which is done with water 
colors, with burnt sienna and burnt umber; 
this is a harsh shade, and is not used by those 
who understand the oil shade. 



76 The Practical Painter, 

VARNISHING OAK. 

It is customary to give but one coat of 
varnish ; for extra work, two coats ; and where 
the work is exposed to the weather, a little 
good linseed oil is a help to it, especially 
where it is good copal varnish. 

MARBLING. 

BLACK ITALIAN GOLD MARBLE. 

First srive the work two coats of dark lead 
color, sandpaper very smooth ; then two coats 
of drop black ; mix the color flat, with a good 
portion of Japan dryer, to make it dry hard; 
sandpaper well with very fine sandpaper ; then 
go over the work with the black, and marble 
in the color while fresh, running in the clouds 
with a sash tool in a lead color ; then run in 
lead-colored veins ; then run in veins with a 
yellowish-gold and flesh color, and sometimes 
a little greenish cast; the veins run in oval, 
diamond, and careless round shapes ; in spots 
where the crossings are the heaviest, run bright 
Vermillion and chrome yellow streaks in light- 
ning streaks; then run fine bronze seams 
through the work, and sometimes heavy 
blotches, done by dragging the brush unevenly ; 



Mai'bling. 77 

take a small portion of bronze and lay it on a 
piece of glass, then dip the brush into turpen- 
tine, then dip it into the bronze, and enough 
of the bronze will adhere to the pencil to run 
in the gold veins. For marbling, two coats of 
varnish is sufficient. 

BLACK EGYPTIAN MARBLE. 

The ground is the same as in Italian marble ; 
the lead clouding is done nearly the same ; the 
veins are run in large blotches, and branch oiF 
in oval shape, with light lines ; the blotches 
are made with a gold color and flesh tints; 
red and yellow are introduced into the edges 
of the blotches ; the gray veins are run over 
the most of the work ; in running these seams 
and veins, the work should not be run too uni- 
formly, but should be varied occasionally. 

SIENNA MAKBLE. 

The ground color of this marble is made by 
charging white lead with burnt sienna, and a 
small quantity of chrome yellow or French 
ochre ; the ground should have a yellowish 
flesh tint ; give two coats, and marble in the 
third ; mix the ground colors rather flat ; the 
graining color is made of burnt sienna, 
lightened with a little lead ; use chrome yellow 



78 The Practical Painter, 

with sienna for some of the veins, also burnt 
umber toned down ; run the clouds with a 
sash tool; the clouding is made with ochre, 
sienna, umber, and a little white ; run small 
veins with a camel-hair pencil. This marble is 
used most on plastered walls, laid off in blocks. 

pike's peak sienna marble. 

The ground is made by charging white lead 
with yellow ochre and burnt sienna to a deep 
buff color ; give two coats ; the third coat is 
marbled into while fresh, as in the other 
marbles. The grain of this marble is quite dif- 
ferent from most other marbles, in being 
dressed on the side ; the appearance is almost 
the shape of a heart piece in oak, with beauti- 
ful flakes all over the face ; these are blended 
in with burnt sienna and chrome yellow, toned 
down almost to a flesh tint. Some of the 
flakes are made with India red and burnt 
umber, lightened with white lead. When the 
marble is dressed on the edge, the seams run 
almost the length of the slab ; this makes a 
beautiful marble, and when well imitated will 
give good satisfaction. 



Marbling, 79 

ITALIAN WHITE MARBLE. 

This is done by first giving the work two or 
three coats of white lead, and marbling in the 
third or fourth ; run the clouds in with a sash 
tool, with a light lead color; most of the veins 
are of a lead or grayish cast, but sometimes of 
a green or blue cast. All white marbles are 
done with the same colors, but in Italian white 
marble the veins are more full than in com- 
mon American marble. Before commencing 
this work, visit a marble shop and look at the 
real marble ; there you will find far more in- 
struction than any written description can give 
you. Marbling is one of the finest branches 
of the trade, and when skillfully wrought pro- 
duces a fine effect. 

DOVE MARBLE, GROUND AND GRAIN. 

The groundwork for dove marble is a warm 
gray, made of black, white, and a small portion 
of Venetian red ; give two coats, and when 
dry take some of the same color, and mix one 
color lighter and two darker, bordering on 
black. This is a beautiful marble when well 
applied. 



8o The Practical Painter, 

DARK GRAY MARBLE. 

This ground is a medium lead color, with a 
small portion of green; give two coats, and in 
the third grain, while wet, a green, lead color, 
and black, and a very little tinge of pearl 
color. The grain in this is very short, with 
quite a variety of blotches and veins. 

VERBA ANTIQUE. 

This marble has a dark, blue-black ground, 
and the work is a variety of greenish blue 
blotches, of a variety of shapes ; the veins are 
run in with a pencil, and are of a different 
shape from all other veins, being more open 
and larger ; these colors are blended in well. 

JASPER. 

This is a very beautiful and fancy marble, 
and is never introduced in large masses except 
in imitations. The ground color is a yellow 
stone or yellow flesh color ; then long triangu- 
lar spaces are carelessly thrown in with a 
brush, exposing part of the ground between 
the colors, using clear burnt sienna and a light 
green ; then take a clean brush and some clear 
turpentine, with a little copal varnish, very 
thin ; sprinkle the work, and it leaves blotches 



Marbling', 8i 

by spreading ; then run in blotched veins with 
a dirty-looking flesh color, some of the same 
kind with white, and others with lake or sienna. 
This, if well done, is very beautiful. 

BLACK AlSrD GOLD MARBLE. 

This derives its name from its black ground 
and gold veins ; there are three colors in this 
marble, and to balance them is the greatest 
difficulty. In graining the marble, the ground 
is black; mix two shades of green, lightened 
with white lead, and one gold color. This 
marble is one mass of blotches, showing the 
groundwork in spots, and the greens and gold 
color well blended ; use the gold blotches to 
finish gold bronzes. 

BLACK VEINED SIENNA MARBLE. 

This marble is grained on a yellowish buff 
color, and the veins run transversely across 
the slab, with black and umber, and occasion- 
ally an orange vein ; the veins are made very 
uneven, and with no uniformity, forming very 
odd angles, squares, ovals and uneven figures. 

NORWEGIAN SLATE. 

The ground of this is charged with green and 
red, with white, makuig a dull, greenish slate 
6 



82 The Practical Painter, 

color, but as light as pearl color. The grain is 
made of chrome green, black, and another 
with raw umber and lake. The veins run in 
this nearly the same as in sienna, only some 
larger. This makes a nice imitation. 

AGATE. 

This has a most beautiful appearance, and is 
quite a favorite with many. The ground for 
this is of a milk whiteness, and the colors for 
the veins are composed for some parts of lake, 
and others with raw umber, another with 
green and black; the lake and the umber is 
used in the body of the work, and the dark 
green and black for the heavier veins that run 
through the slab, with small veins breaking off 
from the large ones. The other colors form 
the appearance of separated flakes, that divide 
in various shapes, which can be produced by 
taking clear turpentine, with a little varnish in 
it, and sprinkling while fresh. 

DOVE-GRAY GRANITE. 

The painter very rarely attempts to imitate 
any other than the common fine grained 
granites. The term granite was used in a very 
indefinite sense, and in fact signified any 
granular stone; but it has now a more 



Marbling'. 83 

restricted meaning. Granites commonly con- 
sist of mica, quartz, and hornblend or feldspar; 
two of these minerals are always present, being 
necessary to compose the rock. Some varieties 
of granite contain large crystals, or fragments 
of feldspar, quartz or hornblend, and these are 
by far the most beautiful specimens. For the 
imitation of these, greater skill and care are 
required than for the more common varieties, 
and we have seldom seen them attempted. 
First, two coats of dove-gray color, mix:ed with 
white lead charged with raw umber, and a 
small portion of yellow to give a dove appear- 
ance ; then mix raw umber and black with a 
little white lead, and throw in the spots nearly 
all over the work, then sprinkle with turpen- 
tine and let it set; then throw in the black 
and cream color spots. A sienna granite can 
be produced by using a buff ground, and 
sienna and yellow for specks. 

GREEN LAVA. 

Green lava is a fictitious marble, taken in 
all probability from some variegated specimen 
of lava, colored by copper. Its ground is a 
very light pea green, with a yellowish cast 
introduced, in large pieces. The veins are a 
green and a dark slate color, with a very fine 



84 The Practical Painter. 

black, and raw sienna dapple; it is veined 
similar to agate. 



NAPOLEON AGATE. 

The ground for Napoleon or Boulogne sand- 
stone is white lead charged with red and 
umber; the tint is reddish buff; the veins or 
dapple are made by mixing the color quite 
thin, and taking the small open sponge, satu- 
rating it, rolling it over the work at intervals, 
and blending. 

KED PORPHYRY. 

The ground for this marble is a dark reddish 
brown, made of vermillion and black; then 
sprinkle the work with red of two colors and 
white, very thin, so that the spots will spread, 
and then finish with a gold color. 

SWISS PORPHYRY. 

' This is considered the most valuable; the 
ground is black, and is imitated the same as 
the above ; black and vermillion, forming a 
color about two shades lighter than the 
ground, is used in sprinkling the work. 



Marbling, 85 

SWEDISH POKPHYRT. 

The ground is a grayish stone color, made 
of white, black and umber ; when this is dry, 
spread over the work a thin coat of turpentine, 
and sprinkle with a deep gray color ; then with 
a dark lead color and a little red; then an 
orange is used in the same manner. 

Having described the process by which the 
painter imitates the various woods and marbles 
commonly introduced in the art of painting, 
the information here given, when combined 
with the observation at all times necessary to 
give a complete acquaintance with any art, 
will enable the reader to judge as to the man- 
ner in which the painter has performed his 
work, and whether he has done all that is 
necessary to give the required effect. Those 
who read with any intention of practicing the 
art, may find many hints which may be of 
value, not only as preventing an erroneous 
mode of execution, but also directing them to 
that which is established by the experience 
of the most successful workmen. 

SCOTCH AGATE. I 

This is done by first giving the surface three 
coats of a deep buff color, the last being a 
dead color ; sand it perfectly smooth, then it 



86 The Practical Painter, 

is ready for marbling. First grind some raw 
and burnt sienna, and grain in distemper, then 
dapple part of the work in water colors ; then 
prepare the marbling colors, which are white, 
dark flesh color, a bluish gre6n, sienna, and 
burnt umber, equal parts; then varnish the 
work and marble while fresh ; this gives a very- 
beautiful sienna agate. 

All marbling is done in oil or turpentine. I 
can give a general idea of the difierent marbles, 
and how to mix the colors and shades required, 
but can not put in print how each mark of the 
brush is made ; a good, thorough understand- 
insc of how the work is to be done can be 
given, and that is half the battle, therefore I 
have written as minutely as possible, and 
would advise the beginner to study the marble 
in the stone, and to take lessons if practicable ; 
in the end it would be for your interest. 

BLACK GRANITE. 

This is made by giving the work one coat 
of lead color and two coats of black ; then the 
lead color and white ; throw in the streaks 
with a short brush, by striking a stick so as to 
throw it on the work. The best imitation can 
be made by clouding the work in the last coat, 
being careful not to cloud it too much. 



^Staining, 87 

WHITE GRANITE. 

First mix the ground color a pearl white, 
and give the work three coats; cloud and 
throw in the specks in the last coat. It has a 
more natural effect to use a small quantity of 
Venetian red in the lead color that is used for 
throwing in the specks ; also throw in a few 
black specks. 

GRAY GRANITE. 

This is done the same as white graniting, 
only the ground is a very light lead color, and 
only white and black are used for the specks. 

Graniting is well adapted to finishing stone 
walls that are plastered or cemented, and laid 
off in blocks. I have seen walls very nicely 
finished with two of the granites thrown in 
alternately, and blocked off, producing a very 
nice effect, and giving good satisfaction. 

STAINING. 

A BRIGHT ROSEWOOD STAIN. 

Take alcohol one gallon, camwood two 
ounces; let it stand in a warm place twenty- 
one hours, then add extract of logwood three 
ounces, aquafortis one ounce ; when dissolved, 



88 The Practical Painter, 

it is ready for use. It makes a very beautiful 
ground, and a good imitation. Give the work 
one or more coats, according to the depth of 
color desired, then take the following to make 
the streaks : Take iron filings, and put strong 
vinegar upon them ; let it stand a few hours 
and it is ready for use. Now grain over the 
first with an overgrainer cut down so as to be 
stifi", that you may have command of the brush, 
or a fair grain may be made by using a rubber 
comb, cut for the purpose. With some prac- 
tice, a neat piece of work can soon be accom- 
plished, and a fair imitation made. 

A LIGHT SHADE OF ROSEWOOD STAIN. 

Take equal parts of logwood and red chips, 
and boil in sufiicient water to make a stronsr 
Stain. Apply it to the work while hot, one or 
more coats, as the depth of the work requires 
to produce a light rosewood shade. For the 
dark grain, use the iron filings, as in the above 
stain. 

CHERRY STAES-. 

Take soft water three quarts, anatto four 
ounces; boil in a copper kettle until it is dis- 
solved, then put in a piece of potash the size 
of an Q^'g^ and keep it on the fire half an hour 



Staining. 89 

longer, when it is ready for use ; bottle up for 
keeping. This is applicable for all kinds of 
light wood. 

A COMMON STAIN FOR CHERRY. 

Take Venetian red and chrome yellow, 
mixed half with oil and half with turpentine, 
with a small quantity of drier ; apply this to 
the work, and rub off with old cloths or soft 
shavings. This gives the work a good cherry 
color, especially white woods. 

MAHOGANY STAIN ON WALNUT. 

This is one of the most natural stains for 
mahogany that can be produced, and if well 
done it is a very fine imitation. Take aqua- 
fortis, and bind a rubber made of cloth on the 
end of a stick, for if a brush is used it will 
Boon be spoiled by the aquafortis ; after coat- 
ing the walnut over with aquafortis, set it in a 
warm place to dry ; it should be well dried 
before varnishing, or the work will spot ; var- 
nish in the usual way. This is applicable to 
all kinds of light work; by taking walnut 
A^eneering and staining, it gives a perfect imi- 
tation, and is hard to detect; in fact, no one 
b-ut a thorough workman can tell it from genu- 
ine mahogany. 



90 The Practical Painter, 

COMMON MAHOGANY STAIN FOR LIGHT WOODS. 

Take burnt sienna and a small quantity of 
burnt umber, mixed with sour beer; put on 
with a brush or sponge. This makes a very 
cheap stain for counter tops, etc. 

A COMMON STAIN FOR WALNUT. 

Take burnt sienna and burnt umber, if a 
reddish walnut is desired ; or, if a dark walnut, 
use most of the burnt umber, mixed with sour 
beer ; put on with a brush, and when dry, var- 
nish after using the sandpaper. 

A BEAUTIFUL WALNUT STAIN. 

Take asphaltum, on light wood, and give one 
thin coat ; sometimes use a little Venetian red 
with the asphaltum. 

ASPHALTUM ROSEWOOD GRAIN. 

Give the work one coat of red lead and 
Venetian red, equal parts ; when dry rub well 
with sandpaper, then give the work one coat 
of asphaltum, and run drop black in with a 
fiat brush to imitate the grain. This is a very 
good stain. 

A CHEAP ROSEWOOD STAIN. 

Mix rose pink with sour beer, and grind 



Coloring and Staining, 91 

drop black mixed in beer; go over the work 
with the rose pink, then run in the grain with 
an over-grainer. Soft water, with a small 
solution of gum arable, will do in place of the 
beer. 

COLORING AND STAINING ON TIN, ALL 
COLORS. 

No. 1. Gum sanderac 1 fib, balsam tolu 2 oz., 
balsam fir 2 oz., acetate of lead 2 oz., linseed 
oil \ pint, turpentine 2 quarts ; place all but 
the turpentine in a kettle, and put it over a 
slow fire, gradually increase the heat until all 
is dissolved ; then take it from the fire, and let 
it stand until cool ; stir in the turpentine while 
quite warm, and strain through flannel cloth. 
This is a clear, transparent stain, and by the 
following instructions most colors can be pro- 
duced ; this mixture must be handled with 
care. 

2. Black. — Prussian blue \ oz., asphaltum 
2 oz., spirits of turpentine \ pint. Dissolve 
the asphaltum in turpentine, pulverize the blue 
with a little of it, mix it well and strain ; then 
add the whole to one pint of the first mixture. 

3. Blue. — Prussian blue and indigo, both 
rubbed to powder, of each \ oz., spirits of 
turpentine 1 pint; mix well and strain; then 



92 The Practical Painter, 

add to this one pint of the first until the 
desired shade is obtained. 

4. Red. — Cochineal \ oz., spirits of turpen- 
tine \ j^int; let it stand 14 hours; then strain, 
and add of the first to suit the fancy. 

5. Yellow. — Take of the root of curcuma, 
pulverized, 1 oz. ; stir in one pint of the first 
solution until the desired shade is produced ; 
then strain as before, and let it stand four 
hours. 

6. Green. — Take equal parts of yellow and 
blue ; mix them with the first until the desired 
shade is produced. 

V. Pink. — Mix a little of the blue with more 
of the red, then add of the first according to 
fancy. 

8. Orange. — Mix a small quantity of the red 
with a larger portion of the yellow ; then add 
of the first until you get the right shade. 

Apply the above preparations with a soft 
brush ; by following the above directions a 
great variety of shades can be produced. 

GOLD LACQUER FOR TIN. 

ALL COLORS, FINE, TRANSPARENT AND BEAUTIFUL. 

Alcohol in a jar or flask \ pint, gum shellac 
1 oz., red sanders \ oz., turmeric \ oz. ; set the 



Gold Lacquer for Tin. 93 

solution in a warm place, and occasionally 
shake the flask ; let it stand ten hours or more, 
Until dissolved ; then strain the solution into a 
clean flask, cork close, and it is ready for use. 

When the solution is used as varnish, it 
must be applied with a soft brush, flowing it 
on smoothly ; or, if the work will admit, it may 
be dipped in the solution, and laid in an oven 
to dry, being careful that the stove is not too 
hot. 

Be careful not to rub or brush the work 
while drying ; one or more coats may be put 
on, according as a light or dark shade is 
desired. If the varnish should become thick 
in time, thin it with alcohol. By the following 
modifications, all the colors are produced. 

2. Rose Color. — Proceed as above, substi- 
tuting \ oz. of finely ground best lake in place 
of the turmeric. 

3. Blii.e. — The blue is made by substituting 
pulverized Prussian blue, \ oz., in jjlace of the 
turmeric. 

4. Purple. — Add a little of the blue to the 
first. 

5. Green. — Add a little, rose color to the 
first. 

Here, again, philosophy gives a variety of 



94 ^>^^ Practical Painter, 

shades, with only a slight change of colors and 
material. 

TO PEARL OR CRYSTALLIZE TIN. 

Sulphuric acid 4 oz., soft water 2 or 3 oz., 
according to strength of acid, salt 1 oz. ; mix 
well ; heat the tin in an oven, then with a 
sponge wet with the mixture, washing off 
directly with clear Avater; dry the tin, then 
apply Demar varnish; this brings out the 
pearling, and is well adapted for water-coolers, 
tumbler-stands, spittoons, and various other 
articles of tinware. 

FROSTING ON GLASS. 

Frosting on glass is done in various ways : 

1. Mix sugar of lead with zinc, one half oil, 
the other turpentine ; lay it on with a brush, 
and pounce with a piece of cotton cloth in the 
form of a ball ; rub on the color very thin. 
This makes a very nice frosting. 

2. Mix 2 ft)S. white lead and ^ ft) patent 
drier with a little coach varnish ; use two 
parts oil and one part spirits of turpentine; 
pounce as directed in the first. 

3. Mix zinc 2 ft)j patent dryer \ ft), oil two 
parts, sugar of lead 1^ oz. ; mix thin and lay 
on even ; pounce with the pouncing ball. 



Calcine Window Shades. 95 

4. For a very light frosting, take a ball of 
putty and pounce carefully over the glass ; it 
produces a very nice frosting, and although 
very delicate, will prevent persons from look- 
ing through. 

The object of frosting is to prevent passers- 
by ftom looking through the windows in 
saloons, halls, etc. ; it can be made to look 
very nice by laying off in diamonds or double 
bars, or running a border around the glass. 
Take a soft piece of pine and shape it like a 
pencil; with this any lines can be made; by 
using a string a variety of circular lines can be 
made, which have a fine appearance. 

OKNAMENTING FROSTED GLASS. 

Take a camel-hair pencil, and make the 
ornaments on the glass with pure white, and 
when dry frost over with a color that has the 
least black in it, so as to make a pearl white ; 
this has a very beautiful effect. 

PAINTING CALCINE WINDOW SHADES, 

FOR STORE FRONTS AND BUSINESS HOUSES IN 
GENERAL. 

To paint window shades is a neat job, and 
must be done in water, which is more durable 



g6 The Practical Painter, 

than oil or turpentine, because they rot the 
window shades, especially where the sun 
strikes them. For bright ultra marine blue 
shades, first dissolve white glue and size the 
curtains with it, with a small portion of ultra 
marine in the sizing; but mix the next coat 
quite strong with ultra marine blue, and have 
the glue size that you mix with it strong 
enough to keep from rubbing ; give two coats 
of color. The canvas should be well stretched 
on stretchers adapted to the purpose, and when 
dry, you can letter in oil without its spreading ; 
the curtains can be ornamented and striped 
with water colors very nicely in this w^ay. 
Another way is to mix one-half Paris white 
with the blue ; it will be some lighter, but 
it gives a very pretty shade. Still another 
blue is done in this way, made to show the 
threads of the canvas ; mix as above, and rub 
on the color with a sponge. This gives the 
curtains that appearance. All these colors 
must be applied while hot, With a calcimine 
brush. 

PARIS GREEN SHADE. 

This is made by using Paris green and the 
same size as in the blue shades, but the sponge 
can not be used as in the blue j this is a hard 



Chair Paiiiting, 97 

color to use, and frequently requires one more 
coat ; the Paris can be used with it to some 
advantage. A very nice green can be made 
by using light permanent green, putting in 
Paris white to lighten it ; apply it while warm 
with a calcimine brush ; other colors can also 
be made ; red lead, chrome yellow, with Paris 
white, will make a bufffor shades. 

CHAIR PAINTING. 

This is done in various ways. A quick way 
is to give the chairs one coat of Venetian red ; 
when dry, putty and sandpaper; then give 
one coat of rose pink, mixed with \ copal 
varnish, \ Japan, \ oil, \ turpentine ; run in 
the grain with a short stiff brush, with Ger- 
mantown black ; while the rose-pink color is 
wet, the black must be mixed flat; then var- 
nish, stripe and ornament. Another is done 
by giving the work a coat of black, and when 
dry run in the grain with an over-grainer, with 
red lead and a little Venetian red ground in 
sour beer; then give it a coat of rose pink, 
ornament, stripe and varnish, and the work is 
done. 

For a nice rosewood grain, take the iron 
filings stain of rosewood, found in another part 
of this book. 
7 



98 The Practical Painter, 

For light-clolored chairs, such as maple, 
make a rubber of cloth fast to a stick ; with 
this stain the chairs with aquafortis ; when 
they are thoroughly dry, rub with sandpaper, 
and varnish. This is well adapted for light 
cane chairs. 

A BRONZE GREEN. 

This is a nice color for chairs ; mix chrome 
yellow, chrome green, and Germantown black. 

Indian red and a little Prussian blue make a 
very nice plain color. 

BRONZING OR ORNAMENTING CHAIRS. 

Use a size made of good copal varnish, and a 
email quantity of boiled oil; take a varnish brush 
with but little in it, and rub the portion you 
intend to ornament ; have the patterns ready 
cut out of paper, lay them on, using a pounc- 
ing ball made of buckskin ; dip in the bronze 
carefully, so as not to injure the patterns ; then 
stripe and varnish. 

There is another way of ornamenting, with 
German metal, and shading with transparent 
color. And still another, by taking silver 
white in tubes and mixing it with varnish ; and 
when it is of the right tack, rub in fine colors 



Cottage JFurniture. 99 

with pumball flowers ; leaves, vines, etc., can 
be done in this way ; that is ornamenting with 
paint. 

A beautiful finish for chairs is done by paint- 
ing shells for ornaments ; another is done by 
laying German metal or gold leaf in shells and 
shading on them. 



TO PAINT COTTAGE FURNITURE LIGHT 
COLORS, DELICATELY TINTED. 

Give the work two coats of white lead, 
mixed with turpentine and Japan ; then grind 
zinc in varnish ; give two coats, thin, with 
turpentine ; then give one or more coats of 
white Demar varnish. This work is generally 
striped and ornamented with flowers, etc. ; 
transfers are made for this kind of work, which 
are very beautiful ; they are also made for 
dark work. These are put on with a spatula ; 
first size the work with Demar varnish, or, 
what is better, with the mastic varnish ; lay on 
the transfer, and rub it down with a spatula ; 
wet it with a sponge of clean water, then rub 
it down again ; after waiting a short time, wet 
again, raise the paper, and you have a beauti- 
ful ornament left ; when dry, varnish. 



I oo The Pra ct ical Pa in te r. 

WAGON PAINTING. 

Wagon painting is mostly done with red 
lead, mixed with raw linseed oil, with a great 
deal of Japan to make it dry hard. Consider- 
able difference of opinion exists among painters 
as to whether raw or boiled oil should be used. 
We think raw oil the best, because, when suf- 
ficient drier is used, it becomes very hard and 
will not rub off, as is the case when boiled oil 
is used. I admit that boiled oil has the best 
gloss at first, and dries the quickest ; but paint 
two wagons, three coats each, one with boiled 
and the other with raw oil, stand them out 
exposed to the weather three or four weeks, 
and you will find at the end of that time that 
the raw oil has the best gloss, and the paint is 
hardest, which is very necessary to make a 
good job of wagon painting. Red lead is the 
standard color for wagons, but others are used 
on large wagons. Butt', striped with Indian 
red, makes a very pretty gearing, but these 
light colors are principally used ou small, one- 
horse wagons ; pea green is another good 
color ; the priming should always be light with 
tliese colors. Larjje waijons that are to be 
painted with red lead, are generally primed 



Scefiery Painting, loi 

with Venetian red, but if mixed with one half 
yellow ochre, it is much better. 

In mixing the colors where the work is to 
be varnished, use about two-thirds turpentine 
and one-third oil, with a strong portion of 
Japan drier; all wagon work is given three 
coats of paint, and generally varnished also. 
The wagon beds are usually varnished ; they 
are painted brown, green, and often red, where 
the gearing is painted light colors. 

The best way to ornament wagon beds is to 
use short camel-hair pencils ; a good painter 
can ornament very well in this way, but a 
new hand should get patterns, if practicable, 
and work from them some time ; soon, if he 
has any taste at ornamenting, he can dispense 
with the patterns. In ornamenting, mix the 
paint to the proper consistency in small cups, 
taking for instance a cream or buff color as a 
ground, and a green or blue as another, 
running in the ornament with these two colors, 
then run in the yellowish-cast verraillion, and 
tip with white or green with white ; these 
colors make a fair ornament on brown. 

SCENERY PAINTING. 

First stretch the canvas, by tacking the 
work through the middle of the frame for flats 



I02 The Practical Painter, 

or wings — that is, through the middle of the 
frame, around the flat; then glue down the 
other half of the canvas with hot glue ; when 
dry, size in the canvas with a strong glue and 
whiting size ; it should be warm, and strong 
enough so it will not rub off; all the colors 
should be kept warm while working them, 

Paris white is best adapted to scenery paint- 
ing; zinc white is very good in some cases; 
ultra marine and Prussian blue are chiefly 
used; chrome yellow, chrome green, umbers, 
burnt and raw sienna, Venetian red, Vermil- 
lion, lakes, yellow ochre, Paris green, drop 
black, and in fact most of the dry colors are 
used. For gilding, gold and silver German 
metals are used ; and in grotto scenes, frost- 
ings of different colors. The tools used are a 
fresco brush, a calcimining brush, flat fitches, 
artist brushes, and a couple of pound brushes, 
or large brushes in tin wrappings, with straight 
edges, made very thin, so as to bend readily 
in the hand. 

This painting is universally done in water 
colors, and a size of glue is used in all colors, 
strong enough to hold without rubbing. In 
painting the drop curtain, be careful not to 
get the size too strong, as the work might peel 
off; but on the floats, wings and flies, there is 



Fresco Painting, 103 

not much danger. Soft water is best in all 
water colors ; the canvas generally has one 
coat of color, then proceed to draw the figures, 
panels, etc. 

FRESCO PAINTING. 

First give the work two or three coats of 
plain coloring ; it is mixed with Paris white, 
and tinted to suit the fancy ; it is mixed with 
water, and a glue size strong enough to keep 
from rubbing ofi"; it is often necessary to mix 
a lump of lime, about the size of your fist, in 
the first coat, especially where the walls are 
greasy ; use soft water if possible ; the colors 
are the same as in scenery painting, and must 
invariably be used when warm, but not hot; 
then lay off the panel work, decorations and 
designs ; run the coloring in the panels, and 
paint the mouldings, ornaments and figures; 
the coloring should be very delicate in this 
work. The tools used in frescoing are nearly 
the same as in scenery painting ; a large calci- 
mine brush, flat fitches, artist brushes, a char- 
coal line, a pair of fresco straight edges, made 
very thin and beveled on the edge, and a rest- 
ing stick ; cups can be made to suit the con- 
venience of the workmen ; also, the German 
and French metals are generally used. 



I04 The Practical Painter. 

CALCIMINING. 

Tliis is tlie art of coloring and whitening 
Avails. By this process the most beaulit'iil wall 
colorino;, and the whitest and neatest work 
can be accomplished. This work exceeds any- 
other now l)et()re the public ; it is tar better 
lor walls and ceilings than any other, for it 
never injures them, while by many other pro- 
cesses they are comj)letely spoiled ; but the 
cah'imine can be removed at any time, witliout 
the least injury to the plastering; the way to 
remove calcimine is to take warm water and 
sponges, with which it can be removed with- 
out much trouble. 

To mix calcimine, dissolve 10 lb of Paris 
white in soft water, then dissolve 2^ tb of white 
glue ; add to the Paris white sulticient to keep 
it from rubbing up. It is best to try the 
strength of the calcimine before putting on ; it 
should be about the consistency of second 
coating in oil ; strain through a common flour 
sifter, and work while warm. 

FOK COLORING CALCIMINING. 

1. To make a Flesh color — Use burnt 
sienna with Paris white. 

2. To make a Pink tint — Use Venetian red 
with Paris white. 



Ca Ic im in ing. 105 

'.\. To make Purple — Uho ultra rnarino blue 
and Indian red with white. 

4. To make a Stjavv eolor — Use French 
oeli/e or yr-Jlow oelire witij i'uris white. 

.0. To make a liuff eolor — Uhc yellow oehre 
and a little Verjetian red with PariK white. 

0. To make a Pearl Wljite — L'ne drop black, 
ground, and a nmall quantity of Venetian red 
witFi I-'aris wljite. 

7. 'J'o ifjake a JJlae eolor — Uhc Indian red 
and a little drop black witli wliite. 

8. ''I'o make a Lig}itT>)rab color — Une burnt 
umber arjd yellow ochre with Paris white. 

f>. 'I'o make a ]^^a Gref^n color — Uhe cljrome 
greerj with Paris white. 

Clii'ome '^raau can not be uRcd to advantage 
with lime in the calcimine, for the chemicals 
will turn the green and Hjjoil tlje color. I have 
seen it turn a clear buif wljcre lime was; in it. 

It generally requircH two coats to make a 
good job, but Hometimes one will do it ; if you 
do not get a good job with two coats, take 
ftpongcK and water and wash off the work, 
after which you will have no difficulty in 
making a good job. 

The tools UHed are a pair of good calcimin- 
ing brushes, a small fitch, and a fiat brush two 
inches wide, for working around stucco work 



io6 The Practical Painter, 

and ornaments. It requires two to work to 
any advantage. Where there are spots that 
can not be made bright, use a solution of alum ; 
and for filling the cracks in the walls, make a 
putty of Paris white and a little plaster of 
Paris, mixed with water and a little glue size ; 
this is called calcimine putty. 

PAPER HAKGING. 

Paper should be handled in a very cleanly 
manner, and with much care ; the edges should 
be trimmed evenly, and lengths enough cut to 
go entirely round the room. Commence in 
some corner, so that if it should not match in 
finishing, it will not be noticed. Have a nice 
clean board, wide enough to hold the whole 
width of the paper, and long enough to hold 
the whole length ; then size the paper, fold 
up the bottom with one large fold, about two 
feet long, then lay the paper on your arms, 
and hang it right at the top ; then pass the 
cloth, or wisp broom that you rub the paper 
down with, down the middle of the work, 
about two feet, rub to each side from the 
middle, being careful to rub out all the 
blisters ; after rubbing down the work smooth, 
never touch it again; trim off the bottom. 



To Varnish Wall Paper. 107 

Your paper should be cut long enough to trim 
about an inch off the bottom of the paper, so 
as to make a neat job at the bottom. 

TO MAKE A SIZE FOR THE PAPER. 

Dissolve a small portion of white glue ; then 
boil the paste of flour to the consistency of 
starch. Another mode is to take boiling water 
and stir flour in it, and use it without boiling ; 
use a small quantity of alum in all the paste. 
For a very delicate paper, use a size of clear, 
white starch. By being careful to match and 
keep the paper clean, and keeping the paste 
from the outside of the paper, you can soon 
make a neat job and give good satisfaction. 
There is a very nice paper that imitates marble 
or stone, which requires to be laid off in blocks 
and varnished : this makes a verv nice finish 
for offices, etc. 

TO VARNISH WALL PAPER. 

Give the work a coat of isinglass or clear 
white glue ; this size should be strong enough 
to hold the varnish from striking in, so as not 
to spoil the work ; when dry, varnish with 
clear, white Demar varnish, one or two coats, 
according to the gloss which it is desired for 



io8 The Practical Painter. 

the work to have. The beauty of paper-hang- 
ing and of varnishing consists in keeping the 
work clean. I have often kept a basin and 
towel standing by my work, and washed my 
hands every few minutes, in order to do a neat 
and nice job. To varnish posters, business 
cards, etc., use the same process as for var- 
nishing paper. 

RE-PAINTING LOOKING-GLASS FRAMES. 

This is used on old gilt frames: Give the 
work one or two coats of American Vermil- 
lion, ground fine ; mix with two parts of tur- 
pentine, one part Japan drier, and one part 
linseed oil ; when dry give the work one or 
two coats of asphaltum varnish, then one coat 
of varnish, and when dry tip with gold the 
ornaments and prominent parts on the frame. 
You should be very careful to procure a good 
quality of asphaltum varnish ; if it can not be 
purchased, it can be made in the following 
way : Take 1 lb of gum asphaltum, 1 jDint of 
spirits of turpentine ; put in a large open- 
mouth bottle, and put it in a warm place to 
dissolve ; add, when dissolved, -J pint of good 
copal varnish, and one gill of good boiled oil ; 
shake well to mix it. This will give a pure, 



Sign Writings Etc. 109 

good asphaltum varnish ; for the gold size, use 
the quick drying size 

TO MAKE REMOVABLE ORNAMENTS AND 
LETTERS ON LOOKING-GLASSES. 

Take a piece of common rosin soap, cut the 
shape of a pencil, and make the letters and 
ornaments ; and to use colors with the soap, 
rub it on with a soft pumball ; dry in the 
soap, and by careful handling it has a beauti- 
ful effect. Another is done by giving the glass 
a coat of white dry zinc, in water or sour beer ; 
when dry, lay off the work with a sharpened 
stick, ornaments, letters, moon, stars, or any 
device you fancy, cleaning off the surplus zinc ; 
this has a very beautiful appearance when well 
executed. 

SIGN WRITING AND LETTERING. 

I will endeavor to give all the instruction 
necessary in the general business of sign and 
banner painting ; and there are some of the 
most useful items and tricks in the business. 

In the first place, no one can teach you unless 
you try to learn. I have seen as many as 
twenty men in one shop, and but one could 
letter J it was all carelessness that they never 



no The Practical Painter. 

learned, they never tried to inform themselves 
on any point. In the first place, it is necessary 
to learn to draw. The reason that there are 
not more sign painters, is that most young 
men never learn to draw, but idle their time 
away at foolishness. Drawing is indispensable 
to lettering, for when you once learn to draw, 
you can soon learn to letter. 

The art of lettering is one of the most 
desirable parts of practical painting, it being a 
part that pays best. Some sign writers are 
very speedy at their business, and they can 
invariably command the highest wages ; they 
generally receive twice as much as tlie plain 
painter. In learning sign painting, depend 
upon yourself; strive with a will, and I will 
guarantee you will succeed. I will now give 
you instruction in the difierent departments of 
lettering. 

LETTERING ON RAW CANVAS IN OIL. 

Grind the color in oil thick, and thin with 
turpentine and a double portion of Japan drier ; 
then take a basin of clean, clear water, and a 
large sponge, and keep the canvas quite damp 
with it. While lettering, this will prevent the 



Impressions on yapan Tins, i i i 

color from spreading, and it makes the canvas 
work much better. I use this mostly where 
quick work is desired, on banners where there 
are to be letters and caricatures. 

Another way is to make a size of glue, and 
add a small quantity of Paris white ; size the 
work one coat, and when dry you can letter 
very readily on it with different colors. 

FOR TRANSPARENT SIGNS ON CURTAINS. 

Dissolve white wax in turpentine, and apply 
it while hot, spreading over the work with a 
brush, and when dry, letter or paint what you 
wish in transparent colors ; this can be used 
for painting pictures that are desired to be 
transparent. This method is one of the most 
beautiful that can be put on canvas, giving a 
clear, pure transparency. 

Some painters are in the habit of using 
boiled oil, but this is very wrong ; it soon rots 
the canvas, it is never clear, and makes a poor 
transparency. 

TO MAKE IMPRESSIONS ON JAPAN TINS. 

For laying out the lettering, take the best 
brown or wrapping paper, and lay out the 
design on it, just what you want j then turn it 



112 The Practical Painter. 

over, take a piece of chalk and rub it over, 
rubbing it out with a cloth, and sufficient will 
adhere to the paper; then place the design on 
tlie Japan tin, and run over the work with a 
pencil ; i-aise it carefully, and you have a very 
fine impression without soiling the tin. 
Another way is to take some of the delicate 
wall papers, and lay oif the work the same as 
in the above, and the color of paper will make 
the required impression. Lettering Japan tins 
is one of the most difficult things sign painters 
have to contend with, this being easily spoiled, 
but by these impressions you have a good start, 
which is half the battle. Look under the head 
of " sizes" for the gold size. 

IMPRESSIONS ON PATENT LEATHER, 

FOR firemen's belts, CLUB BELTS, ETC. 

The best way of taking impressions is to 
take the words that you intend to lay off, and 
draw them on a heavy piece of foolscap paper 
in the shape that you desire ; then on the belts ; 
cut the paper in the size of the belt ; then prick 
in the copy with a pin ; pulverize some chalk 
on a board, take a soft cloth and lub in the 
chalk ; then rub it on the opposite side of the 
cojjy, and lay it on carefully ; then press your 



On Patent Leather, 113 

fingers, passing your hand over the pattern, 
and it will leave a good impression ; you can 
do several before re-chalking the pattern. The 
old method is to prick the pattern, and pounce 
the work, which is a poor way, because it 
leaves so much of the white, that the gold size 
spreads. 

Impressions can be made of patterns or 
pictures, by chalking the opposite side of the 
pictures, and then tracing the picture or letter 
on the work. In painting tin signs, all except 
Japan tins should be smalted or flocked, as 
there are a variety of smalts and flocks. Very 
nice signs can be made on tin ; a tin sign 
should have two or three coats before smalt- 
ing, and care should be taken not to leave any 
tack on the smalt, or flock will stick and spoil 
the job ; sometimes zinc is used, but it is not 
good for signs, the paint not lasting well on it, 
but sheet iron will do very well if coated 
thoroughly. 

A sign painter has a great many old signs 

to j)aint, and it is often necessary to remove 

the old paint from them, especially where they 

have been smalted. This can be done by 

using concentrated lye or potash ; take one 

pound and dissolve it in warm water, making 

it quite strong; lay the work down, and keep 
8 



114 The Practical Painter, 

it saturated with the potash water, watching it 
so it will not eat the wood ; then scrape and 
wash off thoronglily every particle of the 
potash before painting. By following this 
method, you can use it ou various work that is 
cracked or injured. 

FOR SMALTING SIGNS. 

After painting the work — always being 
careful to have it dry liard, so the smalt or 
flock will not stick — then lay off the letters 
and cut around them, mixing the color with 
boiled oil, and as near the color of the flock or 
smalts as possible ; then sift in the flock or 
smalts with a small hair sieve, if it can be had, 
all over; then knock off the surplus smalts. 
Most gilt signs are smalted or flocked. 

FOR GILT SIGNS. 

Give the work three good coats, and the 
smoother the better ; then lay oft' the w^ork, 
and size it in ; lay the gold, and then proceed 
to shade ; the shading should dry without a 
tack, and when hard cut around the letters, 
and proceed to smalt or flock the sign ; dress 
up the edges, and the work is done. 

In making large signs for outside, the gold 



Gold Signs 071 Canvas, 115 

size should be laid on one day, and the gilt the 
day following ; the leaf can be laid with a tip, 
or the gold can be laid out of the paper or 
book, by cutting it up in sizes to suit the work. 
When you want to lay gold on the outside or 
in the air, and the wind interferes, it can be 
done in the following way : cut the leaf in 
pieces such as you desire, then raise the paper 
and draw it over your hair; then lay it back 
on the gold, and rub over the paper again, 
then the gold adheres to the paper, and you 
can lay it on wherever you please. Some use 
cotton, and some a camel-hair pencil, in swan 
quills, for rubbing off the surplus leaf; and 
some use a rabbit's foot — a tame white rab- 
bit^s foot is best, it is much softer than the 
wild. 

GOLD SIGNS ON CANVAS. 

First size the work with a gum-arabic size, 
where you intend to gild, or size the work 
with a glue size, and when dry take the gold 
oil size, and size in the letters or design, and 
watch when the right tack, lay on the gold 
leaf In gilding you should not try to lay on 
the gold when the size is too moist, but wait 
until it has the proper tack ; the drier the size 



1 16 The Practical Painter, 

is, so much tlie better, if it holds the leaf, the 
nicer the job is and the brighter the leaf looks. 

ENGLISH GILDING ON GLASS. 

This is a beautiful burnish gilding, and is 
invariably done in water. The best size is 
made of Russian isinglass, being dissolved the 
same as glue. The Russian isinglass is much 
harder to dissolve than any other isinglass or 
glue, and tlierefore it is much better, it stand- 
ing much better. When you coninience you 
should have an earthen cup and a tin cup, on 
purpose to boil it in ; use this size while warm, 
or, if thoroughly dissolved, it can be used 
when cold as well. This size is very weak, 
and can only be obtained by practice, or by 
trying the strength before using, which is best. 

There is another size that is thought much 
of among some of the gilders : Dissolve, in 
lialf a i)int of water, a very small quantity of 
Prussian isinglass, bt)iling it alone in a gold- 
size pot, made on purpose; when thoroughly 
dissolved, take a hard-boiled i.^g*^ and lay it in 
the size ; let it stand twenty-four hours, then 
pour olf and strain, aiid it is ready for use. 

\\\ doing this gilding, you should use a 
gilder's cushion, and cut with a gilder's knife j 



English Gilding on Glass, 117 

handle the leaf with a tip, rubbing down the 
gold leaf very lightly, with a piece of clear 
cotton when dry, being very careful not to rub 
too hard. This work generally requires two 
coats of gold leaf. The backing of the gold 
on glass is the most important, for on it 
depends whether the gold stands. The best 
backing is made with one half asphaltum and 
one half black ; this should have considerable 
Japan drier in it, and a fair proportion of oil. 

The tools used in this gilding are a flat camel- 
hair brush, for laying on the size, a gilder's 
cushion, a gilding knife, a gilding tip of camel 
hair, a piece of cotton, small straight-edges, a 
half round is best, a pencil made of a piece of 
cedar sharpened, and a soft piece of sponge. 
It requires some practice to do a No. 1 job, 
but, with the directions given here, you 
will be able to make a fair job. The best jobs 
on glass are dressed with a stick sharpened, 
and small straight-edges — these are used for 
straightening the edges, by dampening the end 
of the stick, and rubbing it straight ; the stick 
is used in laying off figures, such as any design, 
after the gold is used. The design can be 
shaded so as to imitate steel engraving beauti- 
fblly, by taking small artist brushes that are 
partly worn off, and cutting the bristles off 



ii8 The Practical Pai7iter, 

very short ; by being very careful, you can 
shade so as to imitate print; the brush being 
very stiff*, cuts the gohl in tiie iinest lines, and 
produces a beautiful effect ; then back up, and 
the backing shows through the gold where you 
desire it, and the work is perfect, but the letters 
are backed before they are cleaned up. All 
this work is made from designs on paper or 
patterns. After making the design on paper, 
the letters are drawn backwards, so as to read 
from the front, for all gilding on glass is done 
on the back of the glass ; tack the design upon 
the front of the glass ; go on the inside to lay 
on the gold, or, if the glass is out of a frame 
or window, lay the pattern on a table, then 
place the glass over it correctly, and lay on the 
gold coverin<x, to desio;n under after the o-old 
is on ; when dry, take the pattern and whiten 
it on the back with Paris white, rub it on with 
a woolen cloth in the paper thoroughly, and 
dust it off" a little; then mat the gold, by pass- 
ing over carefully with the size, and when diy 
lay the pattern on over the gold, take a'pencil 
and run over the design, raise the pattern, and 
you will have a good transfer of the design 
and letters ; then back up, and when the back- 
ing is dry, take a sponge, dampen it, and wipe 
off" the surplus or waste gold; then clean up 



Etching on Glass, 119 

with the straight-edges and stick ; the edges 
can be made perfect with this mode of work ; 
after that, you can proceed to shade the work. 
The best way to mix shading is to mix the 
colors with a little good coach varnish, a little 
oil, and a small portion of drier; but tube 
colors are mostly used in lettering on glass, in 
fact, they cover much better. 

ETCHING ON GLASS. 

In this work cut in the lettering or orna- 
ments with asphaltum, made three parts of 
spirits of turpentine and the other part good 
Japan drier and copal varnish ; flow it on 
heavy, and leave such parts exposed as you 
wish to be operated on ; let it stand at least 
twenty-four hours to dry; then surround it with a 
cord, soaked in beeswax, and lay it around the 
glass to keep the acid from leaking or running 
off over the edges ; then pour on flouric acid, 
and let it remain from six to twenty-four hours, 
according to the depth required to be cut; 
then pour off the acid, wash the glass with a 
little water, and remove the cord and wax; 
then wash off the asphaltum with a little alco- 
hol, and all is done. Now, if you desire, you 
can gild either the letters or the surface ; either 
has a very nice effect. Glass grinding is of 



I20 The Practical Pa ijiier, 

consider:il)lo value in sion work, ami g-ivos a 
vcM'y nice olfoct to otoliing: Take a wido piece 
of brass, so as to pass over the loltoriiio^ or 
etching; then use oinory, and keep it wet witli 
water, and you can grind the whole surface, 
leaving the letters clear, which leaves tlio 
a})f)earance of line frosting, and gives good 
satisfaction. 

SILK BANNERS. 
This is to painters a very difficult job, and 
very delicate to handle, and should be done 
"with neatness and care, first having a frame 
made the size of the silk, then tack it on, being 
careful to stretch it all even and alike ; then 
make a design o^ the work, and take an im[)res- 
sion on the silk, by coloring the design on the 
back witli chalk or Paris white, as in other 
"work; then run on the design with a pencil, 
after placing it on the silk, and you get a good 
impression ; then size the work with gum- 
arabic, only sizing the ]>arts that are to be 
painted or gilded on ; this sizing is to keep the 
color or oil sizes from spreading ; the gum- 
arabic must be very weak, but at tlie same time 
strong enough to keej) it from spreading, and 
when dry lay on the gold size, gild and sliade. 
If you desire a design of any kind, the gum- 
arabic size will answer, but be sure and temper 



Bronzing Patterns, 121 

your size ri<;}it, and tborc i.s no doubt but you 
will succeed ; use cleanlinesH, and be careful 
Dot to drop eitber paint or sizes on tlie vvoik, 
for a drop of eitber may spoil the whole. 

BRONZING. 

Bronzing on iron work, such as i>iiluis, rail- 
ings, etc., paint your work two coats oi' the 
desired color, and in tlic tljiid coat put two- 
thirds of cojjal varnish in enougli of the 
color to cover the work, with a small portion 
of boiled oil ; give a coat of that preparation, 
and when the right tack, rub in the bronze 
with a pumball made of soft buckskin ; when 
dry, varnish. There are some colors that look 
well with bronze, but bronze-green is the 
favorite color. 

BRONZING PATTERNS FOR CHAIR ORNA- 
MENTING, ETC. 

These are done by sizing the work very 
evenly, and rubbing out very thin; and it 
requires tlie size to be just the right tack, and 
just dry enongli so as not to tear the patterns. 

PAINTING BLACK BOARDS. 

First give the board one coat of lead color, 
mixed one-half turpentine and one-half raw 



122 The Practical Painter, 

oil, Avith a strong portion of Japan drier ; then 
grind the bhick, and mix it in one-half spirits 
of tnrpentine, one-fourth knot killer or shellac 
varnish, one-fourth oil, and a faif portion of 
Japan drier ; sand ofl' the work well, each coat, 
giving it two or three coats of the black, and 
when perfectly hard, this makes a fine surface 
for marking on ; and Avhen on plaster, size 
with a light glue size before painting. 

ORIENTAL OR CRYSTAL PAINTING 

The instruction on this painting is, first to 
make the glass perfectly clean, then place it 
over the picture you wish to copy ; then sketch 
the outlines with some sketching preparation, 
by carefully tracing all the outlines on the 
glass, and the leaves, drapery, etc., very care- 
fully; after the sketching is dry, lay on the 
background, inside of the outlines, till you 
have all covered, and w^hen the background is 
dry, put on the colors, commencing with the 
greens, if any are in the design, and finishing 
with yellow ; when through coloring, lay on 
the background upon the remainder of the 
glass; after it is properly dried, take tinfoil 
and crumple it in your hand, so as to wrinkle 
it thoroughly, then partly straighten it out and 



Oriental or Crystal, 123 

lay it over the figure, and to keep it in its place 
paste strong paper over it in such a manner 
that it can not slip about, letting the paper 
cover the whole of the glass ; then place the 
wood backing behind the glass, and you will 
find all complete and looking well, if well 
executed. The colors used in this painting are 
chiefly Prussian blue, crimson, white, yellow, 
lakes, rosean, white zinc, and carmine ; these 
colors are in tubes ; they are mixed in Deraar 
or white varnish ; you can readily mix them 
on a pallet with a small pallet knife or spatula, 
or if you have no pallet you can use a piece of 
glass. These colors should all be more or less 
transparent; in fact, any of the transparent 
colors will work well, using more or less 
Demar varnish. In mixing your greens, you 
can add a small portion of yellow to lighten 
up ; for purple, crimson and blue ; for orange, 
crimson and yellow ; for wine color, crimson 
and blue ; pink, crimson and white ; brown, 
red and asphaltum, as you fancy ; for black, 
use crimson and dark green until the desired 
shade is produced, and where it is required 
very black, use asphaltum and drop black ; for 
your background, use white zinc, or pink 
white or flake white ; mix with turpentine and 
boiled oil, with a good portion of Demar var^ 



124 The Practical Pa i)itcr. 

iiisli, and tor skotohiiig tlie outHnes use asphal- 
tiiin, aiul wluMi required a little darker, add a 
(small quantity of drop black, a little turpen- 
tine and linseed oil to make it run from the 
brush easily. 

A FINE 8TEN0ILTNG BLACK THAT WILL 
NOT SPOIL YOUR STENCIL PLATES, IF 
MADE AYITII PAFEU. 

Dissolve a small portion of glue, and mix 
■Nvith lamp blaek as thick as paste, having the 
glue quite weak, and then work in the stencil 
brush thoroughly ; rub out the brush on a 
board, and by moistening it the least bit with 
water, you can make several good stencils 
without replenishing your brush. 

A TRANSPARENT BLUE FOR POLISHED 
STEEL. 

For steel or iron that has been polished, 
take clear copal varnish, grind a small portion 
of Prussian blue, and mix thoroughly; coat 
with this, and it has a good etfect ; if required 
deeper, add more of the blue, and if you wish 
a light green cast, use a small portion of 
chrome yellow ; tor a variety, use a little burnt 
sienna in copal varnish; this has a beautiful 
ellect on steel or iron that is polished. 



Lettering Door Plates. 125 

LETTERING SHOW-CARDS. 

Show cards are generally made by lettering 
a fine glazed poi'celain cai'd-board, lettered 
generally with asphaltuni, and often lettered 
with the dilferent colors of railroad card-board. 
There is a card-board gotten up lor the pur- 
pose, with blue and other colors; these can bo 
lettered with any color to suit the taste, by 
mixing the paint one-half copal varnish, a 
quarter Japan, a quarter spirits of turpentine. 

LETTERING POSTERS. 

This can be done by lettering with water 
colors, mixed with a white glue size, on any 
kind of paper; where you wish them very 
large, you can use wall paper that is very 
light, lettering on the back of the paper. 

LETTERING DOOR PLATES. 

There are a good many ways of lettenng 
door plates; a very good job is done by using 
gold or silver on glass, and it can be done by 
using for a size the common spittle, and in fact 
all kinds of small jobs can be done in this way, 
by using spittle for a size ; back, and clean 
with a stick, and you may back with any color 
you desire. Another way to make them is by 



126 The Practical Painter, 

cutting around the letters, and backing with 
tinfoil ; but I think little of it. You can pro- 
cure the plates by having them cast at any 
foundry, or sending to any of the cities for 
them. 

TO GILD OR PAINT ON WOKK THAT MUST 
BE DONE IN A IIUKRY. 

This is done by giving the work two or 
three coats of shellac variiish ; then sand it oif 
well, and use one coat of color 5^ or, for gild- 
ing, two coats of shellac varnish, and size in 
with a quick-drying size, and gild the same 
day. This is only used in cases of necessity. 
You can give a board two coats, or one coat 
of shellac and letter or work very nice on it. 

PAINTERS' CREAM. 

This is used on different kinds of work, and 
is very useful in its place. It is made by dis- 
solving white wax in benzole ; it can be dis- 
solved by shaking occasionally, without heat- 
ing ; it should be about the thickness of cream. 
This is used in all the oil graining colors, and 
can be used very successfully where a very 
heavy coat is desired ; it will keep it from 
running, and you can use your color as you 
please. 



Gold Size in Oil, 127 

KNOT KILLER. 

There are but few painters who attach suf- 
ficient importance to knot killing their work. 
The pitch and pine will show in any color you 
can mix, therefore you should be very careful 
to kill all the knots. I care not if it is in the 
dark browns or black, all should be killed. 
Knot killer is simply made with ^ ft gum shel- 
lac, dissolving it in one quart of strong alco- 
hol ; when thoroughly dissolved it is ready for 
use. 

GOLD SIZE IN OIL. 

To make or procure a good oil for gold size, 
it should be very old, or it should be made 
thick by standing in the sun. To take an old 
oil for size that is fat, use copal varnish in it 
to dry it. A good oil size holds its tack for 
some hours. To make oil fat, can be done 
in the following manner : Boil the oil, throw 
in a small quantity of litharge, and take a lot 
of white lead skins in a lead keg ; shake it up 
thoroughly ; it would be well to put the head 
in the keg : bore a hole in the head, and set it 
in the sun for two or three months ; then pour 
off and cork, and it is ready for use. This is 
one of the best gold sizes in oiL 



128 The Pra cilca 1 Pa in ter. 

Another is made by taking good drying or 
boiled oil and copal varnish. This makes a 
fair oil size. 

A QUICK OIL SIZE. 

A quick drying oil size is made with a very 
small portion of boiled oil and a good drying 
coach varnish, with a very little Japan. 

COLD-WATER SIZE FOR GLASS. 

Take a very small quantity of Russian isin- 
glass ; boil thoroughly in distilled soft water 
until it is all dissolved, then it is ready for use. 

TO PREPARE OR SIZE CANVAS OR SILK 
TO RECEIVE THE GOLD SIZE. 

Dissolve a little gum-arabic in soft water, 
and size only where you intend to cover. This 
is mostly used on silk banners. 

BRONZING SIZE. 

Copal varnish two parts, and boiled oil one 
part ; thin with turpentine. This is put on 
very tliin. 

SIZE FOR PAPER HANGING 

A very good paste or size is made by boib 



To Prepare Canvas. 129 

ing a flour paBtc with a firnall portion of whito 
glue and a little alum. Another is made by 
taking boiling water and stirring in the flour, 
without boiling, add a Hmall portion of alum. 
And still another, for very delicate paper, 
where the papei* has mouldings, ornaments, 
panels, etc. This is made by making a starch 
paste, with a small portion of alum and a very 
little white glue. 

A SIZE FOR VARNISHING WALL PAPER 

Is made of white glue, just strong enough to 
keep the varnish from striking through on the 
paper. 

A SIZE TO LETTER ON CANVAS 

Is made with a small portion of white glue and 
a little Paris white. 

A SIZE FOR SCENERY PAINTING 

Is made of good glue with a portion of Paris 
white. 

TO PREPARE CANVAS FOR LANDSCAPES 
IN OIL. 

Take white lead mixed very thick, and 
spread it on with a pallet knife, by scraping 



i^o The Practical Painter. 

llu> ])(>ros of tlu' caiivMS ooiujiK'tt'lv I'lill. 'Plio 
K':i(l must l>i' loU'iMldy stilV; i;ivi' (iim> to ilry 
AVt'll. 

(M.AKIFYIMG LINSKKD OIL. 

Tliis |>roi't»ss is for elm itVitii; oil for very 
delicate uses. Take one gallon t)t' linsct'd oil, 
raw, *2 lbs. of Spanish whitinjj^, ami j>iit it in a 
laru^e-inoutlied bottle; shake it u|> thon>iiLcl>ly 
two or tiiii'e times a week, and keep it in the 
sun until it si'ttK>s; then pour oil' eait'fully, 
et>rk u[), and it is rea<ly tor use. 

(HM'AL VAKMSir. 

Taki» one i;allon t)t" Iinsi'(>d oil, ;/ lb of elean 
rosin, 1 \ lb oiiin eojtal, and A lb of su«::ar of 
leatl ; boil tlu' abo\e oxer a slow (irt> two t>r 
three hours, and when you take it i>tV, while 
Avarni, adtl two tpiaits of spirits of tuij>entiiu'. 

A C(HnU>N innmTTUUE VAKNISII. 

Take A >;al. linseed of oil, add W lb ot*rt)sin, 
\ lb o( sui;ar t>f lead, \ of' i;uni shellai' ; bi)il 
over a sK»w lire thi-ee luuirs, until all the i;uiu 
and sediment is thoroUi;hly dissolved; take olF 
the (u-e, and add 1 (jt. of s[)irits of tuij>eutiuu 
>vhilo wiirm. 



A Black Varnish, 131 

A VARNISH FOR VIOLIN'S AND MUSICAL 
INSTRUMENTS. 

Take 1^ qts. of sfnrits of wine, \ oz. gum of 
sanderac, 2 oz. of gum shellac, 1 oz. gum 
mastic, and 1 oz. elmi; put where it will keep 
warm, or in tlie hot sun ; shake it occasionally, 
and when dissolved it will be ready for use ; 
strain and bottle. 

GUM SHELLAC VARNISH. 

To the best alcohol, 1 gal., add 2^ fibs, gum 
shellac, in a can or jug, and set in a good place 
to keep warm ; when thoroughly dissolved it is 
ready for use; straining is a great help to it. 

A BLACK VARNISH FOR IRON WORK, OLD 
BUGGIES, ETC. 

Take 2j ibs. of asphaltura, f !b drop black ; 
put into an iron pot with ^ gal. of oil ; let it 
stand over a slow fire three hours, or until tho 
asphaltum is thoroughly dissolved ; then add 
1 qt. of turpentine, and when done add 1 qt. 
of good copal varnish. In making the varnish, 
be very careful not to let it get too hot, and, 
while making, stir occasionally ; do not add 
your turpentine or varnish while on the fire, 



132 The Practical Painter. 

but while it is quite warm, after taking it off, 
for it is apt to burn if made too hot. 

A VARNISH FOR FANCY BOXES, GUN 
STOCKS, AND LIGHT ARTICLES. 

Take gum shellac 10 oz.,gum sanderac 1 oz., 
Venice turpentine 1 drachm, alcohol 1 gal. ; 
put in a can and shake occasionally; put in a 
warm place twenty-four hours, and when all 
the gums are dissolved it makes a fine spii'it 
varnish. 

PICTURE OR MASTIC VARNISH 

The mastic varnish is in general use ; it is 
made by dissolving gum mastic in clear spirits 
of turpentine ; all others being objectionable, 
from the difficulty of removing them when 
necessary; such are spirit varnishes, that is, 
those which are prepared in alcohol, or from 
their color and hardness combined, as the oil 
varnishes which were frequently employed in 
earlier times, a familiar kind of which is copal 
varnish. Gum mastic, which can be procured 
from our druggists, dissolves very readily in 
spirits of turpentine, by the application of a 
gentle heat in the warm sun, or by standing it 
near the fire in a vessel stopped but not closed. 



A No, I yap an Dfier, 133 

Often this varnish can be procured at the 
druggists, at very moderate prices. 

JAPAN DRIER FOR WAGON WORK. 

Take linseed oil 1 gal., If ibs. of guto shel- 
lac, |- ft) of litharge, \ ib of red lead, 2 oz. of 
burnt umber ; boil over a slow fire three hours, 
take off and add 1 qt. tur2:)entine. 

JAPAN DRYING OIL. 

Take 1 gal. of linseed oil, 6 oz. litharge, 3 oz. 
red lead, 4 oz. burnt umber, 2 oz. sugar of 
lead, 2 oz. sulphate of zinc ; boil until it will 
scorch a feather, over a steady fire, but not 
too hot. Use this for grinding the colors, and 
add turpentine to them. If you desire a gloss, 
use no turpentine, only the clear oil ; this leaves 
a fine gloss, and is well adapted to Venetian 
blinds, etc. 

A No. 1 JAPAN DRIER. 

Take 1 gal. of linseed oil, \ lb gum shellac, 
\ lb litharge, \ lb burnt umber, \ lb red lead, 
\ ft) sugar lead ; boil in the oil from three to 
four hours, until all of the sediment is dis- 
solved ; then remove from the fire, and while 



134 The Practical Painter, 

warm, add 3 qts. of spirits of turpentine, and 
let it stand until cool, tlien can for use. 

A FINE BENZOLE JAPAN DRIER. 

Take 2 gals, of linseed oil, 2 lbs. red lead, 
\ Bb gum shellac, 2 lbs. litharge, f lb burnt 
limber, \ lb sugar of lead, 4 oz. magnesia ; 
))ulverize the above, then boil until thoroughly 
dissolved; boil three or four hours; then set 
off to cool, and whiit' Avarm wAA 2 gals, of 
benzole, and can for use. This should be used 
only where benzole is used in the paint, for 
turj)entine never mixes well with benzole ; this 
makes a No. 1 artich'. 

DRYING OIL FOR LIGHT WORK. 

Take \ gal. of linseed oil, f lb gum shellac, 
f ft) litharge, \ lb red lead, 4 oz. magnesia. 
The process of making this is diiferent from 
the other drying oils; it is made in the follow- 
ing manner: Take a coarse linen or cotton 
cloth, sutfu'iently large to hold the ingredients, 
tying up, and by means ol" a piece of iron laid 
over the pot, swing the bundle of ingiedicnts 
in the oil, then boil it three or four honi's ; take 
off and can for use. The object in this is to 
keep the oil perfectly clear. 



Polishing; Varnishing'^ Etc, 135 

A LITTLE GEM DRIER FOR WHITE. 

Dissolve a portion of sugar of lead in soft 
water, then mix with your color; it will soon 
mix by stirring. This will work well with 
white and delicate colors. 

THE QUEEN CITY JAPAN DRIER. 

This is a No. 1, never-failing Japan drier, 
and I recommend it above all others : Take 1 
gal. of linseed oil, 1 lb red lead, 1 ft) litharge, 
\ ft) burnt umber, \ ft) gum shellac, 3 oz. 
magnesia ; boil this over a slow fire three or 
four hours, until* all the ingredients are dis- 
solved ; then take it off, and while quite warm, 
add 1^ gals, turpentine, and can for use. This 
is an excellent Japan drier for carriage work. 

POLISHING, VARNISHING, ETC. 

Polishing and rubbing down work is a very 
neat job, and requires considerable care. First 
give the work three or four coats of good copal 
varnish, as it requii-es; then grind pumice 
stone,- or buy that which is pulverized ; then 
cut a couple of squares, about three or four 
inches, of old wool hat for rubbers ; then take 
a pan of water and a sponge, wet the work, 



136 The Practical Painter. 

and keep it wet while rubbing ; then take the 
rubber, wet it thorouglily, and dip it in the 
ground or pulverized pumice stone ; then rub 
the work until it is perfectly even and no brush 
marks in it, being careful not to rub through, 
for if you do, the spot is past remedy ; another 
thing is not to rub the edges through, for it is 
very hard to repair blunders of that kind; 
then wash off the work with a chamois or 
sponge ; then you can finish the work either 
by polishing or by giving it a flowing coat and 
then polishing. 

To polish your work, you must choose a piece 
of rotten stone free from all particles of grit ; 
then proceed as in the rubbing down, using a 
clean piece of the woolen hat, but the rotten 
stone does not require to be ground ; wet the 
rubber and the rotten stone, and rub the rotten 
stone on the rubber, when a sufficient quantity 
of the stone adheres to the rubber for the work ; 
rub with this until the surface is perfectly 
smooth, then wash off with water ; then take a 
piece of soft cotton corduroy, saturate it with 
sweet oil, and rub thoroughly with it ; then 
take another piece of cloth corduroy, have 
some wh^at flour, and rub off all of the oil 
with the flour, rub so as to warm the work, 



A Reviving Polish, 137 

and you can bring it to the highest finish and 
make a beautiful job. 

rmiSHING WITH A FLOWING COAT. 

Rub down the work with pumice stone, take 
a good quantity of flowing varnish, put on a 
good heavy coat, and flow it on smoothly ; this 
is called the flowing finish. Before polishing 
or rubbing, you should give the work plenty 
of time to harden, or you can not make a nice 
job of polishing. All painted work does not 
require as many coats as the raw wood ; most 
of the grained work has but two coats of var- 
nish, and oak in oil has but one coat as a 
general thing. 

TO FINISH BY SCRAPING. 

A new method of finishing is done by giving 
the work two coats of varnish, and scraping 
ofi* leaves the pores of the wood filled, and 
walnut is very hard to fill ; then give the work 
one, two, or three coats, as you desire. 

A REVIVING POLISH. 

This is used on old furniture, and to polish 
and revive the old varnish. Take \ oz. of al- 



138 The Practical Pat?iter. 

cohol, I" oz. muriatic acid, 8 oz. linseed oil, \ 
pt. best vinegar, 1^ oz. butter of antimony ; mix 
the above thoroughly, putting in the vinegar 
last. 

FRENCH POLISH FOR FANCY BOXES. 

Take 12 oz. of gum shellac, 2 oz. gum 
sandrac, 1 gal. best alcohol ; dissolve by putting 
in a jug and shaking occasionally, keeping it 
in a warm place twenty-four hours. 

GERMAN POLISH. 

Take 10 oz. of gum shellac, \ oz. gum 
sandrac, 1 drachm Venice turpentine, 1 gal. 
linseed oil; put in a jug and keep in a warm 
place, shaking it occasionally until it is tho- 
roughly dissolved. 

The manner of working this French polish 
is to make a rubber out of woolen cloth and 
saturate it with oil; then apply the polish to 
the cloth, and continue to rub until you, have a 
satisfactory finish. With a little elbow grease 
this makes very nice work. 

Varnishing is one of the neatest and most 
particular jobs the painter has to do. Great 
care should be taken to spread the varnish on 
even, and not to drag the work as though you 



Common Ruffstuffing, 139 

never expected to get through. You should 
spread the varnish with a firm hand, and finish 
it with a light hand, running the brush straight 
and even. The quicker you varnish, the better 
the job is done, so that the varnish has time to 
flow together, and not leave brush marks. It 
requires considerable practice to become pro- 
ficient in varnishing. All varnishes should be 
used iox the work they are made for; copal 
varnish should be used for furniture ; coach 
varnish for coaches, carriages, etc. ; such 
articles as are used and handled much, like 
chairs, tables, etc., should be varnished with 
varnish that dries very hard. For doors and 
house work, that is grained oak, you can add 
to good drying copal varnish a little boiled oil, 
which is a great help to it, where it is not 
overdone ; all oil would not do by any means. 

TO MAKE PATENT COACH VARNISH. 

Take 1 qt. of Canadian balsam, 1 qt. of 
spirits of turpentine ; put both in a bottle or 
varnish can ; let it stand four days, and it is 
ready for use. 

TO MAKE A COMMON RUFFSTUFFING. 
Take 6 ibs. of whiting, \ pt. of Japan drier, 



140 The Practical Paiiiter, 

\ pt. of linseed oil ; mix the oil and the 
Avhiting with the drier, then add turpentine to 
grind it down; thin with the turpentine suffi- 
cient to lay on with a brush, and when dry 
sandpaper it ready for colors. 

D. S. MAC'S WATERPROOF PRIMING FOR 
BRICK. 

Dissolve 1 ft) gum shellac, f ft)S. sal soda, in 
1 gal. of water; when boiling hot, add \ lb of 
pulverized rosin ; stir, and when the rosin is 
all melted and thoroughly mixed, it is ready 
for use ; while boiling, be very careful 
not to let it boil over. This solution is well 
ada})ted to painting brick work ; it fills the 
pores of the brick, and receiving the following 
coats, it prevents the oil from soaking into the 
brick. For })riniing brick work it is better 
than oil and lead, as every painter knows that 
gum shellac is a thorough waterproof article, 
and for soft brick it can not be beaten. To mix 
it, mix your paint as usual, and one-half of 
this or more to the color; then proceed as 
usual; give it lime to dry hard before second 
coating. This is well adapted to old weather 
boarding that is very dry. 



Stucco Paint, 141 

RUBBER WATERPROOF PAINT. 

Dissolve five pounds of India-rubber in one 
gallon of linseed oil, and if it is too thick 
reduce it with boiled oil, and if too thin use 
more rubber. You will find this a good rubber 
waterproof paint for canvas, etc. 

STUCCO PAINT FOR BRICK AND ROUGH 
WORK. 

This is highly recommended, and has proved 
to be a very superior article, it having been 
used on the east end of the White House at 
Washington, and is said to have stood twenty- 
four years. The following is a recipe for 
making it, from an experienced hand, thirty- 
five years in the business : Take clear unslacked 
lime \ bushel ; slack it with boiling soft water ; 
cover it while making, to keep in the steam ; 
strain it in a strainer or sieve, and add one 
peck of salt, well dissolved in water; then boil 
rice, 3^ ft)s., boiled to a paste, and stir in boil- 
ing hot; add Spanish whiting 1 ft), and clear, 
nice glue, or white glue thoroughly dissolved 
previously in a glue kettle ; it is better to put 
the glue to soak some hours before using or 
boiling it; then add 4 or 5 gallons of soft 
water, mix thoroughly, and let it stand twenty- 



142 The Practical Painter. 

lour lioui^s, when it is icndx lor use; bo o:ir<>- 
I'lll to K('i'|) it rlo.lll. 'Tliis |>;iiiit sliollM \^\^ usrd 
Avliilo liot, .•111(1 it cnii ho ko|>( hot hy usiiil;- :i 
Inrj^o kotth\ V(>u cww usi> any hriishi's, hut 1 
slu»uKl jtrot'iM' :i sni;ill i":ih'imiiu> hrusli, N\ith 
soMii' suimU hiushos, in oith'r to luako a iu>Mt 
joh. This aiisw ors well in tlio j»hioo ot" oil 
l>aiiit, aiul is luuoli ohi'apor. It stands woll; 
it is said to havo stood tlu' woathiM* twouty 
yoais or nioro, and to liaxt* h>st hut litlU' ol its 
hriUiaiu'v in that tinu>. 'Pho stuooo j»aiiit can 
ho dono hy usiui;" hquoi" to dissoUo tiio ooK>is ; 
lor a nioi' hrown, us(> liiH'prool" or nuMallio 
paint ; tor a rod pink, iiso \ Ciiotian rod; lor 11 
hull', uso yollow oidiro, and otiior oolors oan ho 
usoil to advantage. For insido walls, tinoo 
your oolors vory lii;ht, hut tlu' host way is to 
ohsi'rvo tho rulos for oolorini;- ; all tlu' various 
sliados oan ho piothu-od, as in oil, hv inixiiiu; 
with litpioi-, oxi'opt iL;rooiis, w hioli w ill not w tuk 
with linio, tho ohoniii'als and linio sj)oilinL;' tho 
Liii'on. Always mix oiuMigh ;k( a tiino to oovi'r 
all tho wt>rk at ono ooat, cm* at oaoh ooat. 

TO MIX COhOKlNC^ FOR STEJSf OILING AND 
MAKKINO. 

Tako (^onnantown hlaok and nux with tiir- 
poiitiuo, ami for stenciling ;uhi a little oil and 



A Test for While Levels. 143 

Japuii ; llicii N,s(; a hhorl,, Hfifl" hiiisli lo htciicil, 
with a loiif^ liair hrunh yoii will «li'a;^ iJh; paint 
iiM']<'r' t,fi(; Kl,(;r)<',il.H or l(;t,t,<;»'M, nji'l hlot fli'rn lor- 
niarkidK (tw jKipcr; Horrx; uh<; ink. 'I"li<-i<; is 
(jorihidorahh; tacJ/ in marking, l>nf, Hornc [)ir,k it, 
U[> very rca<lily. If on woo'i, tfn; rnarkiiif^ 
Hprffad.H, an<l if you wihh to make, a \i-yy n(!at 
job, riuj (>v<;i" tlif- work willi Hln-.llao viuriiMJi 
()\\v, (;<>at ; it, 'IriftH in two rninutoH. 



A TEHT roii Wlll'lh l.KADS. 

To tr;Ht tli(; qiiality of w}iit(; loa^J, t;i.l<o a [)air 
of aj)Ot})<;cari(;H' balancf; HoalcH, ami wci^li 
fj^jiial wf;i;^htH of" two wfiitoH, arnj mix hla,f,k, 
arif] fJivi'J<; (rquaj |»<nt,ionH of it; tli';n mix on a 
glaHH tlio wliit<; I'-adH witli thf. I>l;i.':k, a/i'J th'; 
one; tfiat iw li^ht<^Mt in t.ln; hcKt loarj. AnotfH;r 
way iH to take two kirnJH of wliit(; I(;ad, and 
put on ^laHH two kirulH of hjad in HOfjaratrj 
plac(;H with a p;ill<-t knif<; ; raiH(; th<; knif't with 
tin; lead, hy pr(!HHinj( thf; knifV; (,u th(; htad, 
raini/ij^ tfio knifV; 2^ or :i incli^iH from tfn; *;IaHH; 
th(; h(;Ht lead will hr<;ak off in Hfiort flak<;H, 
whilr; a pr>r>r <]ijalit,y will he Htrinf^y and run 
from the knife; thiw teHt nhould he witfi leaf! 
without any thinrjin;^. 



144 ^^^ Practical Painter. 

INSTRUCTIONS IN MAKING COLORS. 

Paris Green. — Take unslacked lime of the 
best quality, slack it in hot water; then take 
the finest of the powder and add alum water 
as strong as can be made, sufficient to form a 
thick paste ; then color it with bichromate of 
potash and sulphate of copper until the color 
suits your fancy. The sulphate of copper 
gives the color a bluish tinge, and the bichro- 
mate of potash gives it a yellowish tinge; 
observe this and you will not fail. 

Another Paris Green. — Blue vitriol 5 ft)S., 
sugar of lead. 6f lbs., arsenic 2|^ lbs., bichromate 
of potash 1^ oz. ; mix them thoroughly to a 
fine powder, and add water 3 pints; mix well 
and let it stand three or four hours. 

Prussian Blue. — A good Prussian blue is 
made by taking sulphate of iron and prussiate 
of potash, equal parts, and dissolving each 
separately in water ; then mix the two together, 
let it stand to settle, and pour off the water. 

Chrome Yellow. — Take Paris white 5^ fbs., 
dissolve this in hot water, and add sugar of 
lead 4 lbs. ; then take bichromate of potash 5 
oz., and dissolve as above separately; then 
mix the two together, putting the bichromate 
in last, and let it stand twenty-four hours. 



On Making Colors, 145 

Chrome Green. — Take Paris white 6 lbs., 
sugar of lead ^\ lbs., blue vitriol 3^ lbs., alum 
10 oz., Prussian blue 3 lbs., chrome yellow 3^ 
!bs. ; mix thoroughly and add 3 qts. of water ; 
stir well and let it stand three to four hours ; 
pour off the water and dry, when it is ready 
for use. 

The Whites. — Although the various pig- 
ments which come within the general designa- 
tion " the whites" may appear to require but a 
short notice, yet they are of the greatest im- 
portance, for they necessarily form a ground 
to receive all colors, and by admixtures with 
them, produce the various tints, not only those 
used in house painting, but also those used in 
the higher branches of the art. 

Many pigments are in themselves too trans- 
parent to be of much value to the painter, but 
when mixed with white, receives a sufficient 
body; in fact, we may say that it is white 
which renders most colors serviceable. The 
white pigment most used in oil painting has 
lead for its base, and is manufactured in large 
quantities by different processes, the most im- 
portant of which is white lead ; this and zinc are 
the only metallic whites in extensive use. There 
are other pigments that are earthy, well adapted 
for distemper colors, but they are rarely used 
10 



146 The Practical Painter. 

with oil ; the most of these are Paris white, 
Spanish whiting, and siliciate of clay. 

Chrome Yelloio. — This rich pigment, known 
as chrome yellow, is a chromate of lead. This 
substance is, as its name indicates, a chemical 
combination of lead with chromic acid. Chro- 
mate of iron is the mineral from which chro- 
mium, the oxides of chrome, and the chromater 
are most readily and economically obtained ; 
it is a natural sort of iron, and is found in co-n- 
siderable quantities in a rock called Serpentine, 
on the Cari Hills, near Baltimore ; at Portsoy, 
in Banffshire, and on the islands of Unst and 
Feltar, near Scotland. 

JBlue Sinalts. — Smaits is a beautiful pigment, 
frequently possessing a richness and lustre of 
hue little inferior to ultra marine. It consists 
of glass stained by the oxide of cobalt, and 
afterwards ground into an impalpable powder. 
In the improved methods of manufacturing, 
the siliciate of cobalt is used for staining glass, 
and also for painting on earthenware ; it may 
be formed by a double decomposition from the 
siliciate of copper and sulphate of cobalt. 

Vermillion Med, or Cinnibar. — Cinnibar is 
a native red sulphuret of mercury, and has a 
bright scarlet color. It is found in the quick- 
silver mines of Hungary, Saxony, Bavaria, 



On Making Colors, 147 

and Almaden, in Spain ; it is also brought from 
China, Japan and Mexico. 

Vermillion is a valuable paint, being, when 
pure, bright and permanent ; it is, however, 
too commonly adulterated with red lead, and 
ought in all cases to be tested, which is best 
done by application of heat, before it is used 
by the artist in work that is intended to be 
permanent ; the pure color has a more crimson 
tint than when adulterated. 

Indian Red. — This paint varies greatly in 
tint, but is more or less purj^le ; it is a perma- 
nent color, both in water and in oil, but is 
rather expensive in common house painting, 
where large surfaces are to be covered. It is 
obtained from the islands in the Gulf of St. 
Lawrence. 

Yenetian Red. — This is obtained in the 
neighborhood of Venice, from which circum- 
stance it derives its name. It is composed of 
argillaceous earth and oxyde of iron. It is a 
permanent and useful color. 

Terra De Sienna. — This pigment is brought 
from Sienna in Italy. It is a beautiful brown 
orange color, and very transparent when ap- 
plied in painting, which quality it retains after 
being burned, although it assumes a beautiful 
transparent red hue, which is of great value 



148 The Practical Painter, 

for the imitation of diffoi-eiit woods, especially 
mahogany and walnnl; and is employed by 
the artist in water colors to produce the autumn 
tints, and with hhie it forms a faded green. 

L'ujlit lied Ochre. — There are various kinds 
of red ochre, among which we might mention 
the light red, which is made by calcining or 
burning a pure yellow ochre. It is an exceed- 
ingly useful color, both in water and in oil, 
being permanent and drying well. 

Carmine. — Carmine is said to have been 
discovered by a Florentine monk, who being 
engaged in the preparation of some medicine 
in which cochineal was nsed, observed a bright 
red precipitate ; and for the sale of this color 
his convent afterwards became famous. The 
manufacture of carmine was long kept secret, 
and even at the present day the best methods 
of j)reparing it is nnknown, except to those 
fortunate enough to have made the discovery. 

llaio and Mur/it Umber. — This substance is 
brought from Cyprus, where it is found in beds 
of brown jasper. It is a massive mineral of an 
olive color, which becomes darker when burnt. 
It consists chietiy of the acid of magnesia, the 
acid of iron, silex alumnia. It is a very useful 
color, both in oil and in water ; artists have an 
objection to it on account of its turning darker, 



On Making Colors, 149 

but in walnut and some other grains it is indis- 
pensable, it beirjg a very nice, transparent 
color. The raw umber is a very valuable 
color in imitations of woods, and at the present 
day is considered indispensable. 

Vandyke Brovm. — This substance is a 
bituminous earth, generally found in the 
vicinity of bogs and other places where vege- 
table matter is in a state of rapid decay. As a 
color it is highly esteemed by artists, but it 
can only be used wdth the strongest drying 
portion, it being slow to dry. It is a splendid 
article for graining, especially mahogany and 
w^aliiut. 

Blacks. — All the blacks that are used in 
painting are varieties of carbon, and differ 
from each other chiefly in the substances from 
which they are produced ; the most important 
are bone-black, Vjlue-black, and lamp-black. 

Bone-black is produced by burning bones in 
a close vessel, and afterwards grinding into a 
powder ; ivory-black is made in the same man- 
ner, from the dust and the parings of the sub- 
stances from which it is named; both of these 
are permanent, and slow dryers; bone-black 
has some warmer tone than that produced 
from ivory, which is most esteemed by 
painters. 



150 The Practical Painter, 

Blue-black is a charcoal, made by burning 
in a close vessel the shells of stone fruit, such 
as apricots, peaches and nuts, to which may 
be added the cuttings of vines and other new 
woods. 

Spanish-black is made from cork. 

Coffee-black is made from the husks of coffee. 

Lamp-black is a name applied to all those 
blacks produced by burning oleaginous or 
resinous substances, such as oil, tallow, turpen- 
tine and tar. The manufacturing consists in 
collecting the carbon thrown off by combustion. 
Lamp-black is a bad drier, and is also objected 
to by some artists on other grounds, but lamp- 
black has been mastered, and there are dif- 
ferent brands of burned and prepared blacks 
that dry very readily, and are at present the 
standard of all common blacks. 

Drop-black is used at the present day in 
preference to all other blacks for carriage 
painting, being a good drier and a beautiful 
black. 

Minium or Red Lead. — This color is made 
by first reducing common lead, by calcining, to 
an oxyde of litharge, which, being ground to 
powder, is put into a hot furnace, exposed to a 
free access of air, and continually stirred with 
an iron rake until the color becomes a fine light 



On Making Colors. 151 

red. To grind red lead to a proper fineness, is 
very laborious and difiicult, it being very harsh 
and sandy ; when, however, it is well ground 
and made fine, it is lighter than any other red 
in general use, bears a good body in oil, and 
binds very fast and firm ; it has likewise the 
advantage of drying readily. 

Ultra Marine Blue. — There are really but 
two good blues for oil painting, to wit : ultra 
marine and Prussian blue. Ultra marine is the 
color, by excellence and permanence ; no other 
pigment approaches it in beauty, and no other 
matches it in durability ; for fire, which will 
alter all others, has no efiect on ultra marine ; 
precious in quality above all other blues, and 
beyond others in price. When ultra marine 
was first discovered, the price ranged as high 
as $20 per oz., but since it has been produced 
as low as 75 cents to $2 per pound. The ultra 
marine that is purchased varies, and there is 
considerable difference in depth and strength 
of color, the lightest being the cheapest article. 
Tliis pigment is of great durability. 

THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF COLORS. 

That the reader may understand from what 
his colors are manufactured, it is necessary 



152 The Practical Painter. 

that he should be acquainted with some of the 
properties of the substances from which they 
are produced. Nearly all the colors employed 
by the house painter are made from metallic 
compounds, and chiefly from lead, iron, copper, 
arsenic, mercury, chromium, cobalt, and zinc ; 
in some cases, from lead combined with chro- 
mium, we obtain the white lead of commerce, 
Naples yellow, red lead, litharge, chrome yel- 
low and chrome green ; iron when chemically 
treated- gives the ochres, Prussian blue, sienna, 
Venetian and mineral reds, the mineral yel- 
lows, and some browns ; from copper and 
arsenic we obtain green verditer, blue verditer, 
and mineral green ; from mercury, vermillion ; 
from cobalt, Antwerp and Thenard's blue, and 
the zephyrs or sky blues, and sulphate of zinc 
as a drier. We will not attempt to give a 
description of all the substances which enter 
into the composition of pigments in their gene- 
ral relation to each other ; if we did, we should 
go far beyond what this work was intended 
for. If you wish further information on this 
interesting subject, we refer you to the Medical 
Dispensatory. Gum shellac is the best water- 
proof composition ; asphaltum is the best black 
for iron ; soft water is the best to take oil off 
fresh glazed glass. 



Rose Pink, 153 



CHROME GREEN, No. 2. 

Take blue vitriol 5 lbs., sugar of lead 6 ibs., 
arsenic 2^ lbs., bichromate of potash 1;^ oz. ; 
mix them thoroughly to a fine powder, and add 
water 3 pints ; mix well, let it stand 3 or 4 
hours ; after it is settled, pour off the water, 
and when it is dry it is ready for use. 

ROSE PINK. 

Take Brazilian wood 1 ft), boil it two hours, 
having 1 gal. of water at the end of that time ; 
then strain it, and boil 1 ft) of alum the same 
way, until it is all dissolved. When sufficiently 
cool to admit the hand, add muriate of tin f 
oz. ; then have 12 ft)S. Paris green moistened 
up to a thin consistency, and when the first is 
cool, stir them together thoroughly, and let it 
stand twenty-two hours ; after the above 
mixture has stood twenty-two hours, put it in 
muslin bags to drain, and dry in the air. Stone 
or wooden vessels, and sometimes glass are 
used, but upon iron, tin and copper the acids 
will soon work, and will give a tint you do not 
desire. 

Always observe that if water is to be mixed 
with strong acids, it must be added very 



154 "^^^ ^^^ ctica I Pa in te r. 

slowly, especially if in light vessels or vials, or 
you will break the vessels, by means of the 
great heat which is set free by the combina- 
tions. I give these few items so that painters 
can manufacture, or try ihem for amusement 
and the pleasure of testing them. Small 
quantities can be made in vials, as the chemi- 
cal action is just as fine in small quantities as 



in large. 



OILS. 



I will say but little on oils, for in our part of 
the country, where oil is manufactured, it is 
unnecessary. Linseed oil being the chief 
article used in painting, and also the best yet 
produced ; the old masters used various oils, 
but finally decided that linseed was superior to 
all others, for brilliancy, durability, and as the 
best drying oil. There are difi:erent modes of 
preparing oil to dry, and of boiling it, that you 
will find in another part of this book. There 
is an oil passed off for boiled oil that has never 
been boiled, but ingredients used and boiled 
with a portion of oil, poured into the barrel, 
and sold for boiled oil ; this is often done by 
manufacturers and jobbers. Cotton oil is 
sometimes used in painting, but it is a very 
inferior article, leaves the work spotted, and 



spirits of Turpentine, 155 

is a very poor drier ; dealers often resorted to 
mixing it with linseed oil, and then selling it 
as first quality, but in that case the painters 
were the losers, it taking double the amount 
of Japan to dry it. There is another oil, made 
out of broom corn seed, that is a poor drier, 
leaves no gloss whatever, and dries very dull ; 
it has been mixed at the oil mills with linseed, 
and passed off on the public, but painters are 
the losers. 

SPIRITS OF TURPENTINE. 

Turpentine is the standard for inside paint- 
ing, and used in the manufacture of Japans, 
varnishes, etc. ; it has been the standard, and 
will continue to be for some time to come. 
Through our late war, turpentine became very 
high and could not be afforded, consequently 
another article had to take its place ; it was a 
great inconvenience to be deprived of turpen- 
tine, it being chiefly made in the Southern 
States ; it put painters thoroughly to the test 
to work without their favorite article. 

BENZOLE. 

Benzole has had its run ; being a very inferior 
article, it is at present discarded ; but it was 



156 The Practical Painter, 

prodnced in the nick of time, and served lis a 
very ix^^od turn in takinor the phiee of turpen- 
tine durino- tlie war for the Union ; all varnishes, 
Japan driers, etc., were manufactured with it. 
There are a variety of grades of benzole, some 
having a very bad smell, and others being very 
near devoid of any smell, this last being the 
best. There are parts of painting very hard to 
handle with benzole material ; for instance, 
carriage painting and gloss work, and to gloss 
walls and ceilings ; these Avere very hard to 
manage. The painter might make a very 
white China or French gloss, but in most cases 
it w^ould turn yellow after standing some time, 
and in Demar varnish it worked poorly, it 
being hard to lay on without leaving brush 
mark?, or showing the hair marks, so you see, 
at the best, it is a very inferior article, and 
very dangerous to handle, especially where any 
of the compositions are to be heated. I once 
came very near being burnt to death with it, 
and if help had not come at just the right time, 
I should have never been able to leave the 
shop. 

OIL REDUCERS. 

This is practiced by a great many men in 
the business, and is of more or less injury to 



Oil Reducers, 157 

the work. The following are some of the 
reductions practiced by painters : \ lb of potash, 
with 2 gals, water, add to 4 gals, of mixed 
paint; or concentrated lye \ lb, to 2 gals, of 
water, and mix with 4 gals, paint. Some resort 
to lime as a reducer, which is very bad ; in 
fact all the alkalies are used in oils and paint, 
but the best and most durable is made in this 
manner : Take 2 qts. of soft water, 3| lbs. sal 
soda, and add 1 ib of gum shellac ; boil until 
the shellac is all dissolved, then put in a jug 
for use ; use in all colors for outside, one-third 
to your paint. I will give you a cheap paint- 
increaser for cheap work: First make 5 gals. 
of oil reducer, take Paris white 20 lbs., and put 
in a large vessel for mixing, then pour over 2^ 
or 3 gals of the reducer on the whiting, or 
enough to soak it thoroughly, and let it stand 
over night without stirring; then mix 25 fbs. 
of white lead stirred in oil, pour into the Paris 
white and thoroughly mix, adding oil and the 
reducer equal portions; use this for white 
priming. By this process you can save half 
the oil and lead, and in second coating one- 
third of both. This does not mix as quick as 
oil, but stir a short time and it will soon mix. 
Sulphate of zinc and bichromate of potash will 



158 The Practical Painter. 

both make the reducer; yon can use the above 
in any of your colors. 

I do not give these to you on recommenda- 
tion to use, for I claim that lead and oil are 
the best, and that work should only be done 
with them. I give the reducer to you to show 
how some painters endeavor to turn off their 
work in order to out-bid, while it really only 
ruins the trade ; and my advice is not to use 
any of them, ^unless you positively bargain for 
that kind of material. 

TO TEST OIL PAINT. 

This is done simply by taking soft water and 
pouring it into the color, when it is easily seen 
whether the paint is mixed with water or any 
of the alkalies ; and if you mistrust you pur- 
chase oil with water mixed, you can test it 
the same way, by pouring a quantity of water 
on, and if it mixes you may depend it is adul- 
terated with water. 

BOILING OR PREPARING PAINT SKINS. 

Save all your paint skins in two kegs, the 
light in one, the dark skins in the other ; then 
take a large iron pot, and boil them in soft 
water, add sal soda enough to cut them 



Asphaltum — Gum Shellac. 159 

thoroughly; then strain while hot, and you 
can save considerable in a year. When you 
use them, mix with oil; they are good for out- 
side painting, and they last well. Som'5 painters 
boil them in oil, but that is not a very good 
way, because the oil thickens up, and it requires 
considerable time to boil in oil. 

ASPHALTUM 

Is the best composition for resisting moisture, 
and being a slow conductor of heat, it is best 
adapted where economy of heat and dryness 
are required. 

GUM SHELLAC. 

This is the best composition for wood in 
damp or wet places, therefore it is best adapted 
for soft brick; it dries readily on the brick, 
and holds the other coats of oil paint out, and 
the oil dries on the surface and does not strike 
in, as all oil color would soak the oil in, leaving 
the color without oil, and consequently make a 
poor job. 

TRACING PAPER. 

Spirits of turpentine, 6 parts ; resin, 1 part ; 
boiled nut oil or clarified linseed oil, 1 part; 
laid on with a soft brush or sponge. 



t6o The Practical Painter. 

TO STAIN WOOD AND IVOKY. 

Yelloir. — Dilute nitric acid will produce it 
on wood. 

Hed. — An infusion of Brazil wood in stale 
urine, in the proportions of a pound to the gal- 
lon for wood, to be laid on while boiling hot, 
and a coat of alum water before it dries ; or a 
solution of dragon's blood in spirits of wine 
may be used. 

Black. — A strong solution of nitric acid for 
wood or ivory. 

Mahogany. — Brazil, madder, and logwood, 
dissolved in water and put on while hot. 

JBlue. — Ivory may be stained thus: Soak in 
a solution of verdigris and nitric acid, which 
will turn it a green ; then dip it in a solution 
of pearlash boiling hot. 

Purple. — Soak ivory in a solution of sal- 
ammoniac into four times its weight of nitrie 
acid. These make very handsome stains. 

MIXING PUTTY. 

In mixing or making the various kinds of 
putty, you should be guided by the color that 
you wish to match. I will give some of the 
different shades. To make plain putty, the 



Mixing Putty. i6i 

best mode is this: Take a portion of common 
Spanish whiting, say 10 or 20 lbs., and put it 
on a large heavy board, with sides nailed on 
three sides, in order to keep the whiting from 
flying out ; it is also a good plan to roll or 
bruise it before adding the oil. In making 
putty you should add but little of the oil at a 
time, or the putty will be too soft ; this should 
be pounded thoroughly ; it is a very good way 
to wet up with oil; let it stand a day or two, 
and then do the pounding and thickening. 

To Make a Walnut Patty. — Take common 
putty and burnt umber, working the burnt 
umh)er in until you produce the desired shade ; 
or another mode is to use lamp black and 
Venetian red. 

To Make Mahogany Putty, — Take burnt 
sienna and common putty, as in the above, and 
work in the sienna until you produce the 
desired shade. 

To Make Maple or Oak Putty. — Take com- 
mon putty and color it with chrome yellow, 
and a small quantity of burnt sienna or Venetian 
red. By following these directions, you can 
mix any color you desire, by using the different 
paints with the putty. 

'White Jjead Patty. — Take one-half white 
lead, one -half common putty, and mix 
11 



1 62 The Practical Painter, 

thoroughly ; if too soft, use a portion of Spanish 
Avhiting. Or another, which is good for gloss 
work: Take white lead and work it stiff with 
Paris white ; this is used for puttying inside, 
where the work is to be finished white or with 
a gloss, it being easily covered, and does not 
sink like common putty. To make it dry hard, 
use a portion of clear copal varnish 

STRAINING COLORS. 

The straining of colors is indispensable in 
the use of lead, zinc, and other colors. By 
straining, the lead is thoroughly mixed, you 
can spread more color, and make the work 
more even, leaving less brush marks, and your 
job has a much finer finish. When different 
colors are mixed together, it is necessary to 
strain, for by straining the colors are thoroughly 
mixed ; also after colors stand they soon gather 
a skin on them, and also on the sides of the 
bucket; by stirring, the skins work into the 
paint, which should be strained before using. 
You should scrape the buckets down occasion- 
ally, and pour a little turpentine on them, then 
strain it, and after straining you should clean 
the strainer thoroughly, and then it will always 
be ready for use. It is much easier cleaned 
while fresh than to let the paint dry on. 



Varnishes. 163 

Remember, sandpapering is a great improve- 
ment on the work at all times. Use fine sand- 
paper, or sandpaper that has been partially 
worn. In varnishing the natural wood two or 
more coats, instead of using sandpaper, use 
old haircloth that has been taken from old 
work ; you will find that this cuts smoothly 
without scratching, and makes a nice and 
smooth job. 

NUMBER OF POUNDS TO THE SQUARE 
YARD. 

Outside new work requires 1 ft) to the square 
yard for three coats, and but very little differ- 
ence on inside work. 

On Brick 'Work. — For one square yard of 
new brick work, two coats, ?>\ ft)s. of paint are 
required ; for three coats, 5 ft)S. 

A VARNISH TO PRESERVE GLASS FROM 
THE RAYS OF THE SUN. 

Reduce a quantity of gum tragacanth to a 
fine powder, and let it dissolve for twenty-four 
hours in the white of eggs well beat up ; then 
rub it gently on the glass with a brush. 



164 The Practical Painter, 

VARNISH FOR MAPS, DRAWINGS, ETC. 

Take a bottle of Canada balsam, and place 
it sutHciently near the lire to bring it to a per- 
fect liquid state, then add to it an equal quan- 
tity of turpentine, and mix the two substances 
thoroughly together; in this manner a clear 
crystal varnish is formed, which will be fit for 
use in a few days, if kept at a gentle warmth. 

A GOLD-COLORED COPAL VARNISH. 

Take 2 oz. of essential oil of lavender, and 
when hot, add, in small quantities, 1 oz. of 
powdered copal ; stir the ingredients until all 
is dissolved, then add while quite warm, in 
small quantities, 6 oz. of turpentine, being 
careful not to burn it. 

The best mode to take fresh paint off, where 
mistakes are made in sign |)ainting, or where 
any other mistakes occur, is to take a cloth 
with turpentine and lift off the main portion, 
then saturate a cloth with raw oil, clean it, and 
wii)e dry; where turpentine is used alone it 
often strikes in the body coat, and leaves it 
soiled ; it is often necessary to use oil alone. 

The best mode to take paint or letters off 
work that is dry a day or two, is to take alco- 



To Paint Sinks, 165 

hoi ; it will remove it when nothing else will. 
Alcohol is very good to remove letters from 
Japan tin signs. 

The best mode of dissolving white wax is to 
take benzole, put in a bottle and shake it occa- 
sionally ; it will dissolve without lieating, 
which is very dangerous. 

TO MIX PAINT FOR JOINTS IN SINKS. 

In putting sinks together, the joints should 
be put together with white lead thick as paste. 
To mix this preparation, take white lead, thin 
with three parts shellac varnish and one part 
boiled linseed oil. 

TO PAINT THE INSIDE OF SINKS. 

For the priming coat, use white lead, two 
pans shellac varnish, one part linseed oil, one 
part spirits of turpentine, and a small quantity 
of Japan drier; for the second and third coats, 
mix with white lead, and use any color to 
color the white that you fancy; mix one-third 
shellac varnish, one-third linseed oil, one-third 
turpentine, with a small quantity of Jajmn ; 
then give one coat of copal hard-di'ving var- 
nish. This mixture stands well for this kind 
of work, or any work where water is frequently 
used. 



1 66 The Practical Painter. 



GOLD LEAF. 

Gold is distill fifuished amongr metals for its 
ductility and malleability, and is therefore pecu- 
liarly suited for manufacture into leaves. Gold 
may, in fact, be beaten into a leaf not more 
than the 282,000th part of an inch in thickness, 
and one grain is made to cover 56f square 
inches; this truly wonderful effect is produced 
by beating. Silver, platinum, or copper may 
be reduced to a thin sheet in the same manner. 
The purest gold is employed in the manufacture 
of leaf, for any alloy hardens it, and renders it 
less malleable. In the production of the leaf 
there are four processes : casting, forging, 
lamination, and beating. It is hardly worth 
while to give the long process which the leaf 
is taken through, but I may say here that an 
ounce may be hammered so as to cover one 
hundred and sixty square feet; but the waste 
in this case, from the number of broken leaves, 
and the increase and nicety of the labor, makes 
this an unprofitable refinement. After the last 
beating, the leaves are placed in small books 
of soft paper, each sheet of paper being previ- 
ously ruled with red chalk, to prevent the gold 
leaf from adhering to it. In this shape it is 
brought into the market. Silver, copper and 



Washing Colors. 167 

platinum leaf is made in the same manner ; but 
different manufactories !:jiiglitly modify the 
process, as will be found by consulting any 
work on the subject. 

TO WRITE ON METALS. 

You can write or mark on any metal by 
covering the surface with beeswax, then take 
a sharp instrument and write or letter the work 
by cleaning out the letters; then apply the 
acids with a feather, being careful not to get 
any acid on your hands ; fill the letters well, 
and let it stand five or ten minutes, according 
to the depth required ; then wash off with 
water, and when dry apply a little oil. Nitric 
acid will cut it, or nitric and muriatic acid will 
cut gold or silver ; and you can have gold or 
silver letters with but little cost. 

WASHING COLORS. 

Colors that have grit in them, can be made 
very fine by washing them. Take a pail of 
soft water, stir the colors thoroughly, and wash 
it from one bucket to another; the first Avash- 
ing to stand but two minutes, in order for the 
grit to settle, and in the second wash to stand 
four minutes, and in the third to stand some 



i6S The Practical Painter. 

hours, until all of the color settles at the bot- 
tom, to be dried after it is poured off; the last 
water you will find the color entirely free from 
grit 

TO TAKE INK SPOTS OUT OF LIGHT 
FURNITURE. 

Apply spirits of salt with a rag until the spots 
disappear, and immediately wash with clear 
water; or, to \ pint of soft water, put 1 oz. of 
oxalic acid, and \ oz. of butter of antimony ; 
shake well, and when well dissolved it is admir- 
able in taking out spots on light woods or fur- 
niture. 

TO CLEAN PICTURES 

Having taken the j)icture out of the frame, 
take a clean towel, make it quite wet, and lay 
it on the face of your picture, sprinkling it 
from time to time with clear, soft water; let it 
remain wet for two or three days; then take 
tlie cloth off, and renew it with a fresh one, after 
wiping the picture with a wet si)onge ; repeat 
the process until you find the dirt thoroughly 
soaked out of the picture, then wash it well 
witJi a sponge, and when di-y rub it AVell with 
a little clear boiled oil, and it will revive and 
give it a clear appearance. 



& 



Drying Qualities of Colors, 169 

Drawing is the soul of painting; perseverance 
is the road to elegance ; cleanliness is the 
beauty of a job. Occupy all your leisure hours 
if you wish to succeed ; firmness and decision 
will be sure to win. Remember, if you excel 
you will surely prosper. 

TO CLEAN SIGN WORK OFF THAT HAS 
BEEN SMALTED OR CRACKED. 

Take a strong solution of potash or concen- 
trated lye, and keep it soaked well three or 
four hours, and when it is cut so as to be 
scraped, use a scraper of iron; scrape thorough- 
ly, and wash off with clear, cold water four or 
five times, so as to remove all the alkali. This 
will remove paint from frosted or painted 
windows. Another mode of taking paint off 
cracked work is to take a hot iron and run it 
ever the work until it is loose, then scrape off 
clean, and sand off smooth. It requires two 
persons to work this last. 

DRYING QUALITIES OF COLORS. 

Whites all dry well. 

Chrome yellow dries but tolerably well. 

Ochres dry medium. 

Light red dries quite welL 



170 The Practical Painter. 

Browns dry well. 
Metallic paints dry very well. 
Vermilion dries slowly. 
Lakes dry very slow. 
English or vermilion red dries very well. 
Ultramarine blue is a medium drier. 
Smalts dry quickly and hard. 
Raw sienna dries poorly. 
Burnt sienna dries well. 
Burnt umber dries very fast. 
Raw umber dries well. 
Asphaltum dries in oil very slow. 
Drop black dries well. 
Ivory black dries very slow. 
Lamp-black is hard to dry, but burnt it dries 
well. 

BLUE SMALTS.' 

Blue smalts is glass colored with cobalt blue, 
and is of a beautiful azure hue ; it is impossible 
to grind it to a powder. The other colors of 
smalts are mostly colored sand. 

CARRIAGE PAINTING. 

PKIMING FOR CARRIAGES, ETC. 

Take the paint skins from carriage painting 
— from the buckets, cups, etc., and the scrap- 



Carriage Painting, 171 

inga that usually gather in a paint shop, and 
boil them in raw linseed oil. The best way is 
to boil them in a large iron pot, being very 
careful in boiling them ; they will burn quicker 
than paint skins from a house painter's shop, 
on account of being mixed with turpentine and 
varnishes ; in case they catch fire, it is easily 
extinguished by smothering with a coarse 
cloth or piece of carpet, throwing it over and 
laying a board over it ; boil this three or four 
hours, and if you have not sufficient for your 
work, add a portion of white lead, and a small 
portion of linseed oil. For carriage painting, 
the skins should be from a carriage shop, for 
they have a strong drying portion in them ; 
but, on the contrary, the paint skins from a 
house painter's shop have but very little drying 
qualities in them. In this priming but a small 
quantity of turpentine is used ; it dries hard, 
lasts well, and sands very smooth. The 
painter will find this to be a very valuable 
priming, as well as a very great saving of 
material. If this is too thick, add a little oil 
while boiling ; it is better to grind this before 
using it; make it moderately thin before it is 
used. You should see that your work is per- 
fectly smooth before priming, and if not, sand- 
paper it well before laying on the priming. 



x*j2 The Practical Painter, 

Another good priming for carriage work is 
to take dry white lead and a little lamp-black; 
mix like paste, with two parts oil and one part 
Japan drier; grind and thin with spirits of 
turpentine sufficient to flow readily from the 
brush. This mixture will not dry as readily as 
the above, but you can tell when it is ready 
for sandpapering. In sandpapering over three 
or four spokes, hold your sandpaper up between 
the thumb and linger of the hand, and thump 
it with the other, and if dry it will free the 
sandpaper from the paint. A good way to fix 
the sandpaper is to take two sheets and put 
them together with a little glue size, just strong 
enough to keep them together ; while drying, 
lay a block on them to press them together, 
and when dry cut them in strips to suit the 
work ; by this method you can hold the sand- 
paper much firmer. The priming wants but 
little sandpapering when it comes from the 
smith shop, but you will find more or less 
smoky spots, which can be cleaned off by 
rubbing it with turpentine ; this should be 
done, for paint w^ill not stick on smoky work. 
Now your work is ready for second priming ; 
give the work a coat of the same priming as 
the first coat. 



Carriage Painting, 173 

TO FINISH THE GEARING 

First mix some putty — take dry white lead, 
mix with two parts hard-drying varnisli and 
one part Japan — then work it well by hammer- 
ing it ; keep it in water, and take it out only 
as you want to use it; putty all the largest 
places first, and fill all the holes perfectly flush, 
or a little more than full ; some of the largest 
places will want from twenty-four to forty- 
eight hours to dry in. The grain of the sj^okes 
should be rubbed full of the putty, and when 
dry sandpaper smooth and even. 

Third Coat. — For the third coat take dry 
white lead, and mix with equal parts of oil and 
Japan drier; make it thick like paste; grind 
fine and thin with turpentine, remembering 
the finer you grind the paint the better, and 
the less sandpapering you will have to do. 

Fourth Coat. — For the fourth coat you will 
mix two parts Japan and one part oil. 

Fifth Coat. — For the fifth coat mix two 
parts Japan and one part hard-drying varnish. 
Kow the gearing is ready for sandpapering, 
and when sandpapering in small places, take a 
piece of wood and wind the sandpaper around 
it; by this means you can get in the small 
places very readily. 



174 The Practical Painter, 

MIXING COLORS FOR GEARING. 

From Black to IV/dte, or any other Color 
you desire. — Mix with Ja})aii, like paste, grind, 
and thin with turpentine; put in one table- 
spoonful of oil to a pint of color after it is 
mixed. 

Second Coat. — Put tlie varnish in the place 
of the oil, the same quantity. 

Third Coat. — Mix two parts varnish and 
one part Japan ; mix thick, grind, and thin 
with turpentine. Always make the color thin 
enough to flow from the brush readily, and 
flow down smootlily ; grind very fine. 

Mubbing. — Now proceed to rub the gearing 
nice and smooth for the varnish coating. To 
clean the gearing ready for varnishing, take a 
damp sponge and go over the work, and then 
with chamois skin. Now the work is ready 
for varnishing; use a very fine bristle brush; 
lay on the varnish heavy, but be careful it does 
not run, or that would spoil the beauty of the 
job. In varnishing, use a firm hand, and pass 
quickly over the work, for there is no beauty 
in making a slow, dragging job. 

RUBBING THE VARNISH. 

When dry, take some ground pumice stone 
and a woolen cloth, and cut down the work 



Carriage Painting. 175 

with water and a sponge to keep it wet while 
rubbing; rub lightly, and be careful not to 
cut through the varnish. 

STRIPING THE GEARING. 

The gearing is now ready for striping. In 
the first place, the colors can not be ground 
too fine for striping ; to mix the striping colors, 
use raw oil three parts, and one part turpen- 
tine ; for drying use a portion of sugar of lead, 
and in dark colors use Japan varnish or boiled 
oil, but the sugar of lead is best for striping, 
especially for fine lining. 

To make a very fine blue, take one part of 
Prussian blue and six parts of white lead, 
mixed with raw oil, turpentine, and sugar of 
lead, as directed above ; when dry, clear ultra- 
marine blue in the same way, and glaze the 
other with it. 

For a ground for lake or carmine, use ver- 
milion red, or if you desire it darker, use a 
small portion of burnt umber with the Ver- 
million, and you can put on one more coat of 
the lake or carmine ; it depends on how rich a 
color you fancy. Color for fine lines is much 
better mixed with raw than boiled oil. 

Now the gearing is ready to clean for the 
last coat of varnish ; be careful to get it clean 



176 The Practical Painter, 

and free from dust, and see that the room is 
free from dust. For finishing, the English 
Waring coach-body varnish is much preferable 
to any other, and far more durable. 

FOE CARRIAGE BODY PAINTING. 

You will now take the body from the wood 
shop, and heat some boiled oil in a tin or 
copper dish ; put the oil on the body while 
hot ; the body should be free from dust or glue 
spots before oiling. Apply the oil with a rag 
or a stiff brush ; then the body should stand 
four days, or a week is better ; now give the 
body a priming coat, mixed with four parts 
raw oil, one part Japan drier, with white lead 
and a small quantity of black; add one oz. 
sugar of lead to the pound of white lead ; mix 
thick as paste, grind, and thin with turpen- 
tine ; this coat will require four days to dry ; 
then sand with fine sandpaper; then give it 
another coat of the same paint, with a little 
more drier in it, and when this coat is dry, mix 
some putty with white lead and hard- drying 
varnish, work it fine with a hammer by pound- 
ing it thoroughly ; then putty up every defi- 
ciency with a strong putty knife, and press it 
down thoroughly, so as to fill every defect in 
the work; for this the putty should be thin, 



Carriage Painting, 177 

so as to work readily, and Fet it lie two or 
three days, then sand the work down smoothly 
and evenly. Now your work is ready for the 
ruff-stuffino^. 

A KUFF-STUFFING FOR CARRIAGES. 

Take 7 parts of yellow ochre, 1 part white 
lead, 4 parts good drying varnish, 1 part good 
Japan drier; then take one-fifteenth as much 
raw oil as you have of varnish and Japan 
together ; this should be stirred and ground 
through the mill, not too fine ; reduce it with 
turpentine, so it will work readily under the 
brush ; it will take each coat four days to dry ; 
put coats enough on to make it level, without 
rubbing to the priming. 

TO RUB DOWN A CARRIAGE BODY. 

First saw your pumice stone so that it will 
have one level side, using plenty of water; 
then rub down the panel ; wash off the Avork 
with a sponge, and wipe with a chamois skin ; 
be careful to keep the body well wet while 
rubbing, to prevent scratching. Rub the parts 
perfectly smooth, and when you find the brush 
marks rubbed out, it is, as a general thing, 
rubbed sufficiently. If the pumice stone gums 
up, it is not dry enough ; and if, by mistake, 
12 



178 The Practical Painter, 

you should rub through the paint and wet the 
wood, so as to raise the grain, when it is dry- 
rub off the raised spot with sandpaper, and 
cover the spot with ruff-stuffing; when dry, 
use a little linseed oil in the place of water ; 
rub off smoothly with pumice stone, which will 
not raise the grain of the wood ; then wipe the 
oil off with a cloth, dust the body off clean, and 
it is ready for the color. The irons should 
have the same as the filling or the gearing ; 
when the irons are sandpapered the body is 
ready for the color. 

COLORING CARRIAGE BODIES. 

Grind the colors fine, and keep all dust from 
them while drying ; use a camel or sable hair 
brush, about two or three inches wide, and 
mind that the colors are thin enough, so as not 
to leave brush marks or destroy the level sur- 
face ; run the brush lively, to prevent showing 
laps; when it is dry enough for the second 
coat, rub it down with curled hair, or hair- 
cloth, so that it takes off all the specks, and to 
flatten the brush marks so as to be hardly per- 
ceptible. One more coat in the same way, 
and it is ready for varnishing; for an extra 
job, put on more coats of color, and rub off the 
brush marks with a little pulverized rotten- 



Carriage Painting, 179 

stone, with a piece of cloth for the purpose; 
"when you have it rubbed smooth, wash clean 
with a sponge and a little soft water. Some 
painters prefer to ornament on the dead color, 
but the best way is to ornament on the first 
coat of varnish ; the first varnish used is the 
best American rubbing varnish; this varnish 
looks well after it is rubbed, but it is not so 
durable as that which rubs more toughly ; you 
can not be too careful in keeping the body 
clean while varnishing, and the brush and 
room free from dirt and dust. The room 
should be kept warm ; it would be well to have 
a thermometer to tell when it is warm enough 
to be suitable for varnishing ; it should stand 
75 or 80 degrees above zero. Use a sable hair 
brush ; some painters choose the bristle brush, 
but I give the sable the preference in all cases, 
they spread the paint and varnish more evenly 
and more readily. The quicker the varnish is 
put on the better, and the nicer it will flow ; 
sometimes the work will crawl or creep ; when 
troubled by this, rub off your work with a 
woolen cloth thoroughly, and if it still crawls, 
dampen the cloth the least bit with water. 



i8o The Practical Painter, 



A PROCESS FOE ORNAMENTING CARRIAGES. 

First take some tissue paper, oil it with lin- 
seed oil ; when it is dry, select the ornament 
you wish to paint on the panel ; lay the paper 
over it, and mark the outlines of the ornament 
with a lead pencil, and the shadows also ; 
then take it oif and lay it on a piece of cloth ; 
then prick the outlines of the design, turn it 
on the panel, and place it where you want it; 
then take a thin piece of muslin and make a 
pouncing ball, by putting whiting in it, and 
pounce on the design ; lift off the ornament, 
and you will have the impression on the work. 

I will give you another process, I think this 
is best ; the idea is to get a fine impression, 
and therefore I think this is best, for you can 
take the ornament, or any figure of any design, 
either on print or drawing ; if on print, for 
instance, animals or figures, etc., when the 
work is dark, pulverize some chalk, and rub 
into the back of the design ; then place it in 
the required position, sharpen a hard lead pen- 
cil, truce the design, and it will leave a beauti- 
ful impression ; after rubbing on the chalk, 
take a cloth, before using it, and rub over the 
chalk, so there will not be too much on ; for 
light work, use umber instead of chalk ; the 



Carriage Painting* i8i 

ornament that you draw can be used this way 
as well. 

To color or gild in the ornament, take a 
little quick, hard-drying coach varnish, and 
lay in the ornament ; when it is of the right 
tack, lay on the gold leaf. It is best to size in 
the ornament with a small sable or camel hair 
pencil ; it is customary to rub a small portion 
of chrome yellow with the gold size, and if the 
size dries too fast, use a very small quantity of 
boiled oil ; after laying the gold, press it down 
with a piece of cotton, or a softener made on 
purpose, also to dust off the surplus gold ; now 
shade up the gold leaf; a very good shade on 
gold is asphaltum, which gives a very nice 
appearance, it being transparent; any trans- 
parent colors can be used for this purpose. 
For coloring the ornaments, take one of the 
modes of getting an impression, and color to 
suit your fancy, using bright colors. For strip- 
ing and ornamenting, use the tube colors, they 
being much finer and having more body, your 
work will look much handsomer; use as a 
drier in striping, sugar of lead ; and in orna- 
menting, a little quick-drying varnish. 



1 82 The Practical Painter, 



TO RUB DOWN THE VARNISH. 

Now proceed to rub down the first coat of var- 
nish ; take some woolen ch)th, cut it in strips one 
inch and a half wide, and wind it tight until it 
is two or three inches M'ide ; wind it so that 
the edges are even on one end, then drive a 
tack in the end to hold it ; this is used for 
rubbins: the varnish level. Now take some 
pulverized pumice stone and soft water; mix 
very fine, so there is no grit in it to scratch 
the work ; when vou scet the brush marks 
rubbed off, take a woolen cloth about three 
inches square, and some very fine pumice 
stone, and rub the scratches off the ornament- 
ing ; then wash off the body in two or three 
■waters with a sponge ; then take the chamois 
leather, wash it out clean, and wring it dry ; 
then rub the body thoroughly, to take off all 
the specks. 

TO CLEAN VARNISH BRUSHES. 

Take a cup of turpentine and your pallet- 
knife, wij)e the brush across the edge of the 
knife, and continue until you think the brush 
is clean : then take a cup of varnish that is 
used for ordinaiy purposes, and wipe the brush 
through it for a few minutes, taking out the 



Carriage Paintiitg, 183 

turpentine ; then take a clean varnish cup, and 
proceed to varnish the work ; if any varnish 
should be left, drain it in a cup used for com- 
mon work. While varnishing, be careful to 
raise as little dust as possible, and keep the 
room free from dust by sprinkling it before 
you commence varnishing, and keep the floor 
damp while varnishing; the room should be 
kept warm from twelve to fifteen hours after 
varnishing ; the rubbing varnish should be put 
on thin and light; thin with turpentine if too 
thick ; it should be so as to flow easily under 
the brush. There is no resrular number of 
coats to be put on a carriage body; enough 
should be put on so that the last rubbing coat 
will rub level and not rub through; be careful 
that each coat is dry before putting on another. 
There is no set time for varnish to dry; some 
dry much faster than others. 

THE FINISHING COAT OF VAENISH. 

More care should be taken about dust in this 
coat than in any of the preceding ones, for in 
the other coats you have the advantage of 
rul)bing, but in the last, unless the work is 
polished, it is not touched again ; but if, as 
usual, a flowing coat is used to finish, and the 
dust is allowed to settle in the work, it spoils 



184 The Practical Paifiter. 

the job, for nothing looks worse than specks in 
work. It is well to have a varnishing sliirt, to 
slip on so as to avoid tlie dust from your 
clothes ; in this instance you can not be too 
particular in your work. For the last coat, 
the best English coach-body Waring varnish 
should be used. It helps varnish to harden to 
wash it off in clean, clear soft water; it would 
be well to wash two or three times with cold 
water. 

Carriage painting lasts much better if dried 
in the sun, if the sun is not too hot for it, so as 
to blister the varnish ; the varnish is not so apt 
to blister when running as when fresh done. 

Omnibuses and coach bodies are painted 
and finished in the same way as carriage paint- 
ing. 

ORNAMENTING. 

In the first place, get up the design or pat- 
terns, which should be very heavy, upon good 
paper ; when the design is drawn and shaded 
with a lead pencil (or Indian ink can be used), 
then lay a coat or a woolen cloth down, and 
prick the outlines and all the heaviest lines 
through the ornament ; then take a chalk or 
whiting pumball, put the pattern in the place 
where you desire it, and pounce in the impres- 



Carriage Painting. 185 

sion, which gives a nice outline to follow; 
then color-in the ornament with any colors you 
desire to finish with ; lay this coat of the orna- 
ment in with the paint, quite thin ; mix with 
hard drying varnish, and the least bit of oil ; 
thin with turpentine ; this consists of the dead 
or flat coating, for by giving the ornament two 
coats, the colors can be worked up much bet- 
ter, and the shading done nicer, also the colors 
will be blended more evenly, and the light 
colors will be clearer. 

TO GILD IN BUSS ORNAMENTS. 

Take good drying varnish, and a very small 
quantity of boiled oil, say one sixth part oil, 
and the rest varnish, for the gold size ; grind 
a small quantity of chrome yellow in the gold 
size ; cut in the ornament with this, and when 
it gets the right tack, lay on the gold leaf, 
press down the gold, and rab off with a piece 
of cotton that is free from dirt, as the least dirt 
will scratch the gold ; shade on the gold with 
asphaltum or other transparent colors ; often 
there is a shade on the under part of the gold, 
so as to throw out tlie ornament ; this shade is 
usually dark. 



1 86 The Practical Painter. 

FANCY BAR WORK FOR CARRIAGES, ETC. 

In ()v:il centers and parts of carriages where 
you wish to run fancy bar work on black, 
brown, hike — in fact, all dark colors — first 
run a bright verniillion large stripe, and a fine 
line by the side of the large one, and stri|)ing 
across in the same manner, form diamond 
squares ; when perfectly dry, glaze over the 
bar work with scarlet, carmine, or drop lake, 
mixing it with one half varnish and a very 
small portion of oil ; thin Avitli turpentine, 
using sufiicient dryer, if the varnish dries 
slowly ; this, when finished properly, gives a 
very clear, deep, transparent color. 

PRICE LIST FOR CARRIAGE PAINTING. 

Open Buggy .... $25 00 

Top " 25 00 

PluBton . . . . . 25 00 

Democrat . . . , .25 00 

ISlide Seat Extension Top ... 35 00 

Roekawaj . . . . . 60 00 

Clarence Coach . . . . 90 00 

Omnibus . . . , . 00 00 

PRICES OF PAINTING AND FURNISHING 
STOCK. 

Open Buggy .... $31 00 

Top " 31 00 

Democrat . . . . , 31 00 



Price Lists, 187 

Phaeton $31 50 

Slide Seat Extension Top , . . 44 00 

Clarence Coacli . . . . 110 00 

Omnibus .... $100.00 or 75 00 

REPAINTING OLD WORK 

Open and Top Buggies, from $15 00 to $20 00 

Pliffiton, . . " 15 00 to 23 00 

Democrat, . . » 15 00 to 20 00 

Slide, Extension Top " 30 00 to 40 00 

Rockaway, . . " 40 00 to 50 00 

Clarence Coach . " 70 00 to 80 00 

The above prices are for a first class finish. 



PRICES OF SLEIGH OR CUTTER PAINTING. 

2 Horse cutter extra . from $30 00 to $00 00 

1 " " " . . " 20 00 to 35 00 

2 " " common . " 10 00 to 30 00 
1 " '♦ " . . " 12 00 to 20 00 
1 Horse, common, with square 

bed and seat . . " 10 00 to 15 00 

This sleigh scale includes the material and 
work. 

BRUSHES AND PAINTERS' TOOLS. 

In choosing brushes, the painter should be 
careful to choose those that are best adapted 
to the kind of woi'k intended to be done; for 
instance, for heavy woik, the painter should 
choose a large, round brush of the best quality, 
for there is nothing saved by using an inferior 
brush J let your brushes be chosen according 



1 88 The Practical Painter, 

to the amount of surface to cover ; on outside 
>vork use a large 8.0 brusli, and in varnishing 
use a hirge varnish brush ; on doors, wainscot- 
ing, and all small work, a medium size varnish 
brush is best ; for painting fence or lattice 
Avork, use a 3 or 4.0 brush ; for chair, carriage, 
Avngon, and l)linds, use a medium flat varnish 
brush. In doing house work the painter should 
always have with him a large paint brush, a 
sash tool, duster, and a i>utty knife ; in order 
to do good work these tools are indispensable; 
there are a great variety of brushes in use ; 
some varnish with a flue sable on very nice 
work ; at the present time there are some very 
line brushes Kov varnishing made in metalic 
wra[>pers, which are very good, having the 
best and finest bristles ; there are the fitches, 
a small, flat brush, and well adapted to various 
kinds of work, and the round artist pencil or 
brush of dillerent sizes, with choice bristles, 
which are used more or less in fresco and 
Bcenery painting ; there is a flat brush of dif- 
fonMJt sizes that is used for graining in distem- 
])or, and also can be used in other work. I 
liave seen painters use these brushes in varnish, 
but a good job of varnishing can not be done 
with them ; there are brushes called over-grain- 
ers J these are very thin, made and bound in 



Brushes and Paifiters^ Tools. 189 

tin ; tliese brushes often require to be cut 
down ill the liair ; you sliould liave tliree of 
these for graining, one Avithout cutting, tlie 
second lialf cut, and the third cut down to one 
fourth of the hair, and by these p*aining can 
be done successfully. There are brushes made 
flat of camel hair, from one to two inches ; 
these are used for various kinds of work ; they 
work well for filling letters, and are used for 
laying on the water size for glass gilding, and 
besides, there is a round camel hair brush that 
is admirably adaf)ted for filling letters and 
large ornaments, the color flowing very evenly 
from them ; they are about half an inch 
thi'ough, as a general thing, and bound in tin ; 
there is a softener, or gold duster made with 
four or five split swan quills ; it is one inch 
through, and about three-fourtlis of an inch 
long in the hair ; it is admirably adapted to 
use in laying gold leaf; then there are the 
striping i)encils of various sizes and lengths, 
both of sable and of camel hair; brush or quill 
pencils for lettering are shorter, and average 
from \\ inches to one-half inch ; some camel 
hair pencils are very good, but as a general 
thing they can not be relied upon ; sable is the 
favorite pencil of' the sign writer and orna- 
menter. In choosing these pencils, be careful 



190 The Practical Painter, 

to see if they are not cut off on the point, for 
if they are, they are spoiled, and are to be dis- 
carded, for no pencil will work with the line 
natural silk point cut, and the painter should 
be very careful to notice whether the quill is 
w^ell tilled with hair ; if it is loose, the pencil 
will have no spring, and therefore is untit for 
use ; there is a large pencil made for wagon 
ornamenting, which is put up in metallic wrap- 
j^ers, and is very good for that purpose, as 
■\vagon ornamenting is done off hand, and not 
worked up as 'bus or sleigh w^ork is ; there is a 
brush called the softener, that should go with 
the artist kit used for blending colors ; it is a 
round brush made of badger hair; also the 
grainer's blender, that is made of badger's hair ; 
this brush or blender is from 1^ to 5 inches in 
width, and varies in the length of the hair from 
2^ inches to 4 inches ; these brushes are very 
costly that have badger hair in them. Last 
but not least is the calcimining brush : this is 
made of the best and longest hog bristles ; it 
is made with a handle about sixteen inches 
long, and the hair at least six inches long ; 
there are three sizes of these brushes, the mid- 
dle size being preferable ; they are usually six 
to seven inches wide ; they are a very tine 



Care oy Brushes. 191 

brush ; fresco painters use them ; also scenic 
artists, for painting all their plain work. 

CARE OF BRUSHES. 

The calcimine brushes should be washed 
thoroughly when the job is finished, and not 
left to dry with color in them, and hung up ; 
by these precautions the hair will remain 
straight, and they will also keep their spring ; 
all brushes that are used in w^ater or distemper 
color, should be washed and rinsed clear be- 
fore laying away ; also artist's pencils that are 
used in oil should be washed clean with soft 
water and soap until they are thoroughly 
cleansed, but by all means do not use hot 
water, for hot water takes the spring from the 
brush. Small lettering pencils and heavy 
striping brushes may be kept clean by washing 
them out in turpentine or benzole ; lay them 
in sweet oil, in a dish prepared, so the brushes 
lay flat, to keep the points from curling ; if 
you wish to move or carry them, clean the 
sweet oil out, and there is no danger of their 
spoiling by drying out. For fine stripes, clean 
them with turpentine ; take equal parts of tal- 
low and lard, rub in them, and stick them on 
a piece of glass, straightening them out per- 



192 The Practical Painter, 

fectly straiglit, and by this mode the pencils 
for tine lining will always be in order. In the 
care of the lai-ge paint brushes, all that is 
required is to have a tub, cut it down, and put 
in enough water to cover the bristles, laying 
them in carefully so as to not to jam up the 
bristles, and lay them flat, that is the flat way 
they are worn. Some keep their brushes in a 
long trough, with nails on both sides, and by 
boring a hole in the handles, they hang them 
up; this is a very good way. 

Brushes should never stand in the color, for 
a brush softens more or less, and loses the 
spring, which ruins it. The painter never 
gains any thing by being careless with his 
brushes or tools ; a brush in soon spoiled by 
leaving it out drying, and it is not fit for use. 
The varnish brush is the hardest one to keep 
in order; a varnish brush should be taken 
great care of, for a gummed brush will spoil 
any work that it is put on, always leaving 
specks in the work. For house work, or w'ork 
that is not used much, such as doors, frames, 
etc., you can keep the brush in oil ; but for 
other work, such as chairs, furniture, carriages, 
and in fact all work that is used a great deal, 
as setting any thing on to, the brush should be 
kept out of oil ; it can be kept iu turpeiitiue by 



Wrapping Brushes, 193 

being very careful. For varnishing church 
pews or hall seats, oil should be kept from the 
brush and from the varnish. I have been 
keeping a brush in a large, open-mouth bottle, 
with varnish enough to cover the bristles, and 
taken a piece of leather with a hole cut in it to 
receive the handle and to fit close over the 
mouth of the bottle. 

In wearing paint brushes, especially large 
round brushes, it is necessary to learn to wear 
them flat, by working them on two sides only ; 
some blaze the handle, which is a very bad 
plan. The best way to break a brush in, as it 
is termed, is to observe how you work the 
brush when you first commenced, and if you 
have been painting in oil color in the evening, 
when quitting work lay the brush on a board 
flat the way you wish to break it in, and by 
one or two nights', and a couple of days' work, 
you can manage it. 

WRAPPING OR BINDING BRUSHES. 

When brushes are new, the painter usually 
wraps them. There are several modes of 
wrapping brushes, but there is one thing I 
would impress on your minds, that is, not to 
bind the brush too tight, for several reasons ; 
13 



194 The Practical Pahiter. 

first, if bound too tight, the brush is apt to 
twist in the hair; second, a brush that is 
bound too tight will burst by swelling while 
kept in water; and third, but not least, the 
wrapper keeps working down, and bulges 
between the wrapping and the main wrapping 
of the brush. In wrapping a brush, some tie 
the bridle or wrapping around the handle of 
the brush, and some bridle by tacking it in the 
main stock of the brush — that is, draw it over 
the main binding, and tack it in the hair; but 
my way is to loop from the end of the bristles, 
draw the ends back, and simply tie them 
together ; the spring of the brush will keep 
the wrapper up, if not too tight. Observe this 
instruction on brushes, and you will have no 
trouble. 

In running the painting business, I find it 
positively necessary to keep a paint stone, and 
large and small pallet knife or spatula ; some 
painters seem to get along without these, but I 
never could. It matters not whether you have 
a paint mill or not, the stone and pallet knife 
are always \'ery useful. You should keep a 
good paint mill in your business ; you will find 
a variety of them. There are various other 
tools used in this business ; it is probably not 
necessary to explain their separate uses. I 



Wrapping Brushes, 195 

shall name some of them : first, ladders, four 
or five lengths; then the calcimining scaficjld- 
ing ladders, these are used for calcimining 
ceilings, awnings, etc. ; swing staging on 
different plans, used for painting brick blocks ; 
step ladders, it is well to have four or five dif- 
ferent sizes of these, being very handy on inside 
work, in papering, etc. ; paper-hanging boards, 
these are made of different lengths and in dif- 
ferent ways ; the best way is to take two 
boards, from nine to twelve feet long, and half 
inch stuff", and put them together with long 
hinges, so that they close ujd, and can be 
carried under the arm and in the wind, which 
is hard to do when the board is whole and the 
wind blows the board ; it should have a piece 
jointed on the ends, to keep it from splitting; 
and a pair of light trussels for painting blinds, 
etc. 

In lettering, you should have several straight- 
edges, and a couple of squares ; a compass, 
and a set of drawing tools ; a very thin 
straight-edge, one and a half inches wide, from 
three to four feet long, for scenery and fresco 
painting; also a resting stick, and I have 
found, in practical painting, a pallet board very 
handy; an easel for painting, and others for 
glazing, made heavier ; a pair of frames or 



196 The Practical Painter. 

stretchers, for painting window shades on ; 
and last, but not least, two or three strainers, 
made of perforated tin, one large for straining 
white and colors, and one small for straining 
in cups and small articles. 

NUMBER OF LIGHTS PER BOX OF FIFTY 
FEET. 



SIZE. 


LIGHTS. 


SIZB. 






LIGHTS. 


6 by 8, 


150 


10 by 18, . . 40 


6 " 10, . 


120 


10 " 19, 




38 


6 " 12, 


100 


10 » 20, , 






36 


7 " 9, . 


114 


10 " 21, 






34 


7 " 14, 


73 


10 " 22, , 






33 


8 " 10, . 


90 


10 " 24, 






30 


8 " 13, 


75 


10 " 26, . 






28 


8 " 18, . 


69 


10 " 30, 






24 


8 '• 14, 


64 


10 " 40, 






18 


8 " 15, . 


60 


10 '* 46, 






16 


8 " 16, 


56 


10 " 50, . 






14 


8 " 18, . 


50 


11 " 12, 






55 


8 " 20, 


45 


11 '' 14, 






47 


9 " 11, . 


72 


11 " 15, 






44 


9 " 13, 


66 


11 " 16, . 






41 


9 " 13, . 


61 


11 " 17, 






38 


9 " 14, 


57 


11 " 18, . 






36 


9 " 15, . 


53 


11 " 19, 






34 


9 " 16, 


50 


11 " 20, , 






33 


9 " 17, . 


47 


11 " 21, 






81 


9 " 18, 


44 


11 " 23, . 






30 


9 " 20, . 


40 


11 *' 24, 






27 


9 " 22, 


36 


11 " 30, 






23 


10 " 12, . 


60 


11 " 40, 






16 


10 " 13, 


55 


11 " 50, 






13 


10 " 14, . 


51 


13 " 12, 






50 


10 " 15, 


48 


13 " 13, 






46 


10 " 16, . 


45 


12 " 14, 






43 


10 " 17, 


42 


13 " 15, 






. 40 



Number of Lights^ etc, 197 



SIZE. 


12 by 16, 


12 " 


17, 


12 " 


18, 


12 " 


19, 


12 " 


20, 


12 " 


21, 


12 " 


22, 


12 " 


24, 


12 " 


26, 


12 " 


28. 


12 " 


30, 


12 " 


36, 


12 " 


40, 


12 " 


50, 


13 " 


15, 


13 " 


16, 


13 " 


17, 


13 " 


18, 


13 " 


20, 


13 " 


22, 


13 " 


24, 


18 " 


26, 


13 " 


30, 


13 " 


36, 


13 " 


40, 


14 '• 


14, 


14 '* 


16, 


14 " 


17, 


14 " 


18, 


14 " 


20, 


14 " 


21, 


14 " 


22, 


14 " 


24, 


14 " 


26, 


14 " 


28, 


14 " 


30, 


14 " 


36, 


14 *' 


40, 


14 " 


44, 


14 " 


50, 



LIGHTS. 


SIZK. 


37 


15 by 15, 


35 


15 '' 16, 


33 


15 " 18, 


32 


15 " 20, 


30 


15 " 22, 


29 


15 " 24, 


27 


15 " 26, 


25 


15 " 28, 


23 


15 " 30, 


21 


15 " 32, 


20 


15 " 34, 


17 


15 " 36, 


15 


15 " 40, 


12 


15 " 45, 


37 


15 " 48, 


35 


15 " 50, 


33 


16 " 16, 


31 


16 " 18, 


28 


16 " 20, 


25 


16 " 22, 


23 


16 " 24, 


21 


16 " 26, 


18 


16 " 28, 


15 


16 " 30, 


14 


16 " 32, 


37 


16 " 34, 


32 


16 " 36, 


30 


16 " 38, 


29 


16 " 40, 


26 


16 " 42, 


24 


16 " 44, 


23 


16 " 46, 


21 


16 " 48, 


20 


16 " 50, 


18 


17 " 17, 


17 


17 " 18, 


14 


17 " 20, 


13 


17 ♦' 22, 


12 


17 " 24, 


. 10 


17 " 26, 



LIGHTS. 

32 
30 
27 
24 
22 
20 
18 
17 
16 
15 
14 
13 
12 
11 
10 
10 
28 
25 
22 
20 
19 
17 
16 
15 
14 
13 
12 
12 
11 
11 
10 

io 

9 
9 
25 
24 
21 
10 
17 
10 



ly<J J. 

SIZE. 


/ttj 


J. 


LIGHTS. 1 


SIZE. 


C'/ • 


17 by 28, . 15 1 


20 l)y 20, 


• 


17 " 30, . 


. 141 


20 " 22, 




17 •' 32, 






13 


20 " 24, 


• 


17 " 34, . 






12 


20 " 26, 




17 " 36, 






12 


20 " 28, 


• 


17 " 40, . 






11 


20 " 30, 




17 " 44, 






10 


20 " 32, 


• 


18 '• 18, . 






22 


20 " 34, , 




18 " 20, 






20 


20 " 36, 


• 


18 " 22, 






18 


20 " 38, 




18 " 24, 






17 


20 " 40, 


• 


18 " 26, . 






15 


20 " 42, 




18 " 28, 






14 


20 " 44, 


• 


18 " 30, . 






13 


20 " 46, 




18 " 32, 






12 


20 " 48, 


• 


18 " 34, . 






12 


20 " 50, 




18 *' 36, 






11 


20 " 52, 


• 


18 " 38, . 






11 


20 " 54, 




18 " 40, 






10 


20 " 56, 


• 


18 " 42, . 






10 


20 " 58, 




18 " 44, 






9 


20 " 00, 


^ 


18 " 46, . 






9 


21 " 22, 




18 " 48, 






8 


21 " 24, 


• 


18 " 50, . 






8 


21 " 26, 




18 " 52, 






8 


21 " 28, 


• 


18 '' 54, . 






7 


21 " 30, 




18 " 56, 






7 


21 " 32, 


• 


18 " 58, , 






7 


21 '* 34, 




18 " 60, 






7 


21 " 36, 


• 


19 " 20, 






19 


21 " 40, 




19 " 22, 






17 


21 " 45, 


• 


19 " 24, 






16 


21 " 50, 




19 " 26, 






15 


21 " 54, 


• 


19 " 28, 






14 


21 " 60, 




19 " 30, 






13 


22 " 22, 


, 


19 " 32, 






12 


22 " 24, 




19 " 34, 






11 


22 " 26, 


• 


19 " 36, 






11 


22 " 28, 




19 " 38, 






10 


22 " 30, 


• 


19 " 40, 









22 " 32, 





Number of Light s^ etc, 199 





SIZE. 


22 bv 34, 


22 


" 


36, 


22 


u 


38, 


22 


(( 


40, 


22 


u 


42, 


22 


<i 


44, 


22 


u 


46, 


22 


t( 


48, 


22 


(( 


50, 


22 


u 


52, 


22 


(( 


54, 


22 


« 


56, 


22 


« 


58, 


22 


« 


60, 


23 


<( 


23, 


23 


(i 


26, 


23 


<( 


28, 


23 


u 


30, 


23 


(i 


33, 


23 


(( 


36, 


22 


a 


38, 


23 


u 


40, 


23 


(( 


44, 


23 


(( 


50, 


23 


u 


54, 


23 


(( 


60, 


24 


(( 


24, 


24 


u 


26, 


24 


1.1. 


28, 


24 


(( 


30, 


24 


(( 


32, 


24 


(( 


34, 


24 


(( 


36, 


24 


(( 


38, 


24 


(( 


40, 


24 


u 


42, 


24 


t( 


44. 


24 


(( 


46, 


24 


u 


48, 


24 


(( 


50, 



LIGHTS. 


SIZE. 


10 


24 by 52, 


9 


24 '' 54, 


9 


24 " 56, 


8 


24 " 58, 


8 


24 " 60, 


7 


25 " 25, 


7 


25 " 26, 


7 


25 " 28, 


7 


25 '' 30, 


6 


25 " 32, 


6 


25 " 34, 


6 


25 '* 36, 


6 


25 " 38, 


5 


25 " 40, 


14 


25 " 42, 


12 


25 " 44, 


11 


25 " 46, 


10 


25 " 48, 


9 


25 " 50, 


9 


25 " 52, 


8 


25 " 54, 


8 


25 " 56, 


7 


25 " 58, 


6 


25 " 60, 


5 


26 " 26, 


5 


26 " 28. 


12 


26 " 30; 


12 


26 " 32, 


11 


26 " 34, 


10 


26 " 36, 


9 


26 " 38, 


9 


26 " 40, 


8 


26 " 42, 


8 


26 " 44, 


7 


26 " 46, 


7 


26 " 48, 


7 


26 " 50, 


7 


26 " 52, 


6 


26 " 54, 


6 


26 " 56, 



LIGHTS. 

6 
6 
5 
5 
5 
12 
11 
10 
10 
9 
8 
8 
8 
7 
7 
7 
6 
6 
' 6 
6 
5 
5 
5 
5 
10 
11 
9 
9 
8 
8 
7 
7 
7 
6 
6 
6 
6 
5 
5 
6 



200 The Practical Painter. 



SIZB. 


/t-c. 


Jt 


LIGHTS. 


SIZE. 


{?/ 




LIGHTS 


26 by 58, . 5 


33 by 48, 


( 


20 " 60, 


5 


33 " 50, 


• I 


28 " 28, 






9 


33 " 53, 






A 


28 *' 30, 






9 


33 " 54, 






4 


28 " 32, 






8 


33 " 56, 






4 


28 " 34, 






8 


33 " 58, 






4 


28 " 36, 






7 


33 " 60, 






4 


28 " 40, 






6 


33 " 36, 






e 


28 " 42, 






6 


33 " 40, 






5 


28 " 44, 






6 


33 " 45, 






^ 


28 " 46, 






6 


33 " 50, 






4 


28 " 48, 






5 


33 " 55, , 






4 


28 " 50, 






5 


33 " 60, 






4 


28 " 52, 






5 


34 " 36, 






6 


28 " 54, 






5 


34 " 38, 






€ 


28 " 56, 






5 


34 " 40, 






5 


28 " 58, 






4 


34 " 43, 






5 


28 '' 60, 






4 


34 " 44, 






5 


30 " 30, 






8 


34 " 46, 






5 


30 " 34, 






7 


34 " 48, . 






4 


30 '' 36, 






7 


34 " 50, 






4 


30 '* 38, 






6 


34 « 53, 






4 


30 *' 40, 






6 


34 '' 54, 






4 


30 *' 43, 






6 


34 " 56, 






4 


30 " 44, 






5 


34 " 58, 






4 


30 " 46, 






5 


34 " 60, . 






3 


30 *' 48, 






5 


35 " 40, 






5 


30 " 50, . 






5 


35 " 45, 






5 


30 " 52, 






5 


35 " 50, 






4 


30 " 54, 






5 


35 " 55, 






4 


30 " 56, 






4 


35 " 60, 






3 


30 " 58, 






4 


36 " 60, , 






5 


30 " 60, 






4 


36 " 43, 






5 


32 " 34, 






7 


36 " 44, . 






5 


32 " 36, 






6 


36 *' 46, 






4 


ii2 " 38, 






6 


36 " 48, , 






4 


33 " 40, 






6 


36 " 50, 






4 


33 " 42, 






5 


36 " 53, 






4 


33 " 44, 






5 


36 " 54, 






4 


33 " 46, 






5 


36 " 56, , 






4 



Prices of Glass ^ etc, 201 



SIZE. 


LIGHTS. 


SIZE. 


LIGHTS. 


36 by 58, » 


3 


38 by 60, . 


3 


36 " 60, . 


3 


40 " 42, 


4 


38 " 40, 


5 


40 " 44, . 


4 


38 " 44, . 


4 


40 " 46, 


4 


38 " 46, 


4 


40 " 48, . 


4 


38 " 48, . 


4 


40 " 50, 


4 


38 " 50, 


4 


40 " 53, . 


3 


38 " 52, . 


4 


40 " 54, 


3 


38 " 54, 


3 


40 " 56, . 


3 


38 " 56, . 


3 


40 " 58, 


3 


38 " 58, 


3 


40 " 60, . 


3 



PKICES OF GLASS PER BOX OF FIFTY 
FEET. 

These prices are the standard prices of glass 
per box for the last three or four years, with a 
discount deducted ; at present the discount is 
thirty cents, and by the help of this scale you 
can easily keep yourself informed in regard to 
prices : 



Single Strength. 


Price per box of 50 feet. 


6 by 8, . 


. $6 50 


7 " 9, 


6 50 


8 " 10, . 


. 6 50 


8 " 11 to 9 by 11, 


7 00 


9 " 12 to 10 " 12, 


. 7 00 


8 " 13 to 9 " 13, 


7 00 


9 " 14 to 10 " 14, 


. 7 00 


8 " 15 to 9 " 15, 


7 00 


9 " 15 to 10 . " 15, 


. 7 00 


9 " 16 to 10 '* 16, 


8 00 


11 " 14 to 11 " 15, 


. 8 00 


11 " 15 to 12 " 14, 


8 00 


9 " 17 to 10 " 17, 


. 8 00 



202 The Practical Painte7\ 





Single Strength. 




9 


^? 


18 to 10 


by 18, 


11 




16 toll 


li 


17, 


12 




15 to 12 


« 


16, 


11 




18 to 9 


<( 


19, 


12 




17 to 12 


« 


18, 


10 




19 to 12 


(( 


19, 


8 




20 to 10 


<( 


20, 


11 




20 to 12 


(( 


20, 


10 




21 to 10 


(( 


22, 


11 




21 to 11 


(( 


22, 


14 




16 to 14 


<( 


18, 


13 




19 to 13 


<( 


20, 


14 




19 to 14 


u 


20, 


12 




21 to 14 


(( 


21, 


12 




22 to 14 


<( 


22, 


10 




24 to 12 


(( 


24, 


13 




24 to 14 


i( 


24, 


15 




20 to 15 


« 


22, 


16 




20 to 17 


(( 


20, 


IG 




22 to 16 


<< 


24, 


18 




20 to 18 


(( 


22, 


17 




24 to 18 


<( 


24, 


10 




26 to 16 


« 


26, 


10 




28 to 12 


« 


28, 


18 




26 to 16 


<( 


26, 


18 




28 to 20 


(( 


28, 


19 




24 to 20 


(( 


24, 


14 




26 to 14 


(( 


28, 


10 




30 to 22 


<( 


24, 


22 




26 to 22 


(< 


28, 


24 




28 to 20 


(( 


30, 


22 




30 to 24 


(( 


30, 


10 




32 to 24 


<( 


36, 


24 




37 to 24 


(( 


38, 


26 




28 to 28 


« 


38, 


80 




32 to 30 


(( 


36, 


10 




40 to 20 


(( 


40, 


24 




40 to 30 


(( 


40, 


20 




41 to 30 


<( 


41, 


20 




42 to 28 


(( 


42, 



Price per 



box of 50 feet. 


$8 00 


. 8 00 




8 00 




8 00 




8 00 




. 8 50 




8 50 




. 8 50 




8 50 




8 50 




8 50 




. 8 50 




8 50 




. 8 50 




8 50 




. 8 50 




8 50 




8 50 




8 50 




. 8 50 




10 50 




. 10 50 




10 50 




10 50 




10 50 




10 50 




10 50 




10 50 




10 50 




12 00 




12 00 




12 00 




13 00 




. 15 00 




15 00 




15 00 




15 00 




. 15 00 




15 00 




. 15 00 



Handling and Cutting Glass, 203 

Single Strength. Price per box of 50 feet. 

30 by 42 to 32 by 42, . . . 15 00 

20 " 44 to 20 " 44, . . . . 15 00 

2S " 44 to 30 " 44, . . . 15 00 

10 " 45 to 20 " 45, . . . . 10 00 

32 " 44 to 30 " 45, ... 1600 

For double strength, double the price of the 
above. 

HANDLING AND CUTTING GLASS. 

In handling glass there is considerable 
sleight ; in the first place, you should be care- 
ful how you take hold of the glass, and especi- 
ally large glass, for often the weight of the glass 
will break it. Take hold of the glass so as to 
support it, and always carry it on the edge; 
if you wish to set it down, set it on the edge, 
and when you cut glass lay it with the hollow- 
ing side up, for it cuts best in that way. You 
should be careful there are no specks or large 
grit under the glass before cutting, for if there 
are, you are more apt to break it. See that the 
glass is level, and if not, slide paper under 
until it is level, then take hold of the diamond 
with a firm hand, and move it along smoothly, 
holding it firmly, so as to cut evenly and alike 
across the whole light; it is well to cut a 
couple of pieces before breaking the cut ; and 
on very large glass you should be careful to 



204 The Practical Painter, 

make a sure cut, and for fear you do not make 
an even cut, run the diamond alongside of your 
cut; and if a very large glass, turn it over and 
cut on the opposite side, then draw the glass 
to the edge of the board, and break it care- 
fully ; sometimes it is well to take the other 
end of the diamond and thump it carefully, to 
give it a start, you might thump it the whole 
length of the glass Avith success, and it often 
breaks in this manner. In cold and frosty 
weather the glass should be warmed before 
making the cut; it cuts better, and does not 
break so easily. 

TO TAKE CARE OF A DIAMOND. 

It is quite essential to take good care of a 
diamond. In the first place, if you have a 
good diamond, do not allow any one but your- 
self to use it, for two men to cut with the same 
diamond will surely spoil it. You should 
never lay it down, for if you do, some boy or 
man will pick it up and try it for curiosity, and 
may spoil it; there is another thing that I 
woufd impress on your mind, that is, never to 
cut in the same place a second time, for it 
injures the diamond, and is apt to ruin it; also, 
be Ciiicful not to run over other cuts with it. 



Care of Diamonds. 205 

You should be very careful not to draw the 
diamond over the edge too hard, for it is hard 
on a diamond. Perhaps you may ask, What 
diamond is best? Diamonds are of various 
prices, and you may get a good one, or you 
may not, but send for one that is worth about 
twelve dollars, and you will be likely to get a 
good one. 




THE 

PAINTER'S READY RECKONER 



In taking house work, there is a great deal 
of time spent in measuring work, and many 
will take work without taking time to see what 
they can afford to do it for, and consequently 
do it at ruinous prices. Therefore, in order to 
save time, and to enable the painter to take 
work at fair prices, we give the ready reckoner 
in the painter's business, which I believe has 
never before been published. 

A man with this reckoner can, in a very few 
minutes, give a decided answer to almost any 
job, and a correct one ; and I doubt not you 
will find this of great value to you. I give you 
the size of the glass, and the whole frame 
which comprises the entire window ; plain 
finish ; molding finish, and pilaster with cap 
finish; also, outside of window on brick build- 
ings, with cap and sill ; also doors and frames, 
bases, floors, etc. ; making it complete in 



Ready Reckoner, 



207 



taking work. In taking a job, all that is 
required is to get the size of the glass, and 
then count the number of windows, doors, etc., 
and you will hnd but little trouble in getting 
the dimensions of the job, and the estimate 
will be correct. 

The following scales give the number of 
yards, feet and inches in windows, doors, 
bases, floors, fronts, picket fencing, and a great 
variety of work that comes in the painter's 
trade : 

PLAIN FINISH (inside.) 



Glass 8 by 10. . . . 


Window 2 Yards 


2 Feet, 


96 1 


QCh 


" 8 by 11... 




2 




4 







(( 


" 8 by 12... 




2 




5 




48 


<( 


" 8 by 13... 




2 




6 




96 


<( 


" 8 by 14. . . 




2 




8 







« 


" 8 by 15... 




3 









48 


« 


" 8 by 16... 




3 




1 




96 


(t 


" 8 by 17... 




3 




3 







{( 


" 8 by 18... 




3 




4 




48 


Ci 


" 8 by 19... 




3 




5 




96 


(1 


" 8 by 20... 




3 




7 







<c 




plain 


finish. 










Glass 9 by 12 


Window 3 Yjtrds 


, Feet, 


01 


DCh 


" 9 by 13. . . 




3 




1 




72 


(( 


" 9 by 14. . . 




3 




3 







<( 


" 9 by 15. . . 




3 




4 




72 


« 


" 9 by IG. . . 




3 




G 







(t 


" 9 by 17... 




3 




7 




72 


t< 


" 9 by 18... 




4 












It 


" 9 by 19... 




4 




1 




72 


(i 


" 9by20 .. 




4 




3 







u 



2o8 The Practical Painter. 



MOLDING FINISH. 



Glass 9 by 12 Window 3 Yards, 5 Feet, 72 Inches. 

" 9 by 13.... " 3 " 7 " 24 " 

" 9 by 14 " 3 *' 8 " 120 " 

" 9 by 15.... " 4 " 1 " 72 " 

" 9 by 16 " 4 " 3 " 24 " 

" 9 by 17.... " 4 " 4 " 120 " 

" 9 by 18. . . . " 4 " 6 " 72 " 

" 9 by 19 " 4 " 8 " 24 '* 

" 9 by 20.... " 5 " " 120 " 

PILASTER OR CAP FINISH. 

Glass 9 by 12 Window 4 Yards, Feet, 36 Inches. 



9 by 13 
9 by 14. . 
9 by 15. . 
9 by 16. . 
9 by 17.. 
9 by 18.. 
9 by 19. . 
9 by 20. . 



Glass 10 by 12. 

" 10 by 13. 

" 10 by 14. 

" 10 by 15. 

" 10 by 16. 

" 10 by 17. 

" 10 by 18. 

" 10 by 19, 

« 10 by 20. 



Glass 10 by 12. 
" 10 by 13. 
" 10 by 14. 
" 10 by 15. 
" 10 by 16. 
« 10 by 17. 



4 " 1 " 132 

" 4 " 3 " 84 

4 " 5 " 36 

" 4 " 6 *• 132 

" 4 " 8 " 84 

" 5 " 1 " 36 

" 5 " 2 " 132 

" 5 " 4 " 84 

PLAIN FINISH. , 

Window 3 Yards, 1 Foot, 84 InchesL 

3 u 3 u Yl " 

3 " 4 " 84 " 
" 3 " 6 " 12 " 
" 3 " 7 " 84 " 
u 4 " " 12 " 
" 4 " 1 " 84 " 

4 " 3 " 12 " 
\i 4 « 4 u 34 t( 

MOLDING FINISH. 

Window 3 Yards, 7 Feet, 18 Incheg. 



114 

66 " 

18 " 

114 " 

66 " 



Ready Reckoner, 



209 



Glass 



Glass 



10 by 18. . . Window 4 Yards, 8 Feet, 18 Inches. 
10 by 19... " 5 " " 114 " 
10 by 20... " 5 " 2 " 66 " 



PILASTER OR CAP FINISH. 



Glass 



10 by 12. . 

10 by 13. . 
10 by 14. . 
10 by 15.. 
10 by 16. . 
10 by 17. . 
10 by 18. . 
10 by 19.. 
10 by 20. . 



11 by 12... 
11 by 13... 
11 by 14. . . 
11 by 15... 
11 by 16... 
11 by 17... 
11 by 18... 
tl by 19. . . 
11 by 20. . . 



"Window 4 Yards, 2 Feet, 9 Inches. 

4 " 3 " 105 

" 4 " 5 " 57 " 

u 4 " 7 " 9 " 

" 4 " 8 " 105 " 

" 5 " 1 " 57 " 

" 5 " 3 " 9 " 

" 5 " 4 " 107 " 

" 5 " 6 " 57 " 

PLAIN FINISH. 



Window 3 Yards, 3 Feet, Inches. 

u 3 '< 4 " 96 " 

3 " 6 " 48 " 

" 3 « 3 u " 

" 4 " " 96 " 

" 4 " 2 " 48 ** 

" 4 " 4 " " 

" 4 " 5 " 96 " 

« 4 " 7 " 48 " 

MOLDING FINISH. 



Glass 11 by 12. . Window 3 Yards, 8 Feet, 108 Inches. 



11 by 13, 
11 by 14. 
11 by 15, 
11 by 16. 
11 by 17. 
11 by 18. 
11 by 19. 
11 by 20. 



84 
60 
36 
12 
132 
108 
84 
60 



PILASTER OR CAP FINISH. 



Glass 



11 by 12. . . Window 4 Yards, 4 Feet, 18 Inches. 
11 by 13... " 4 " 5 " 102 " 
11 by 14... " 4 " 7 " 78 " 
14 



2 TO The Practical Painter, 



Glass 11 by 15. 
" 11 by 10. 
" 11 by 17. 
" 11 by 18. 
" 11 by 19. 
" 11 by 20, 



Window 5 Yards, Feet, 54 Inches. 



PLADf FINISH. 



30 

6 " 

126 " 

102 " 

78 " 



Glass 12 by 12. . . Window 3 Yards, 4 Feet, 72 Inches. 



12 by 13 
12 by 14. 
12 by 15. 
12 by 16. 
12 by 17. 
12 by 18. 
12 by 19. 
12 by 20. 



36 



108 

72 

36 



108 

72 



MOLDING FINISH. 



Window 4 Yards, 1 Foot, 54 Inchea 



Glass 12 by 12.. 

'* 12 by 13. 

» 12 by 14. 

" 12 by 15. 

*' 12 by 16. 

♦' 12 by 17. 

" 12 by 18. 

" 12 by 19. 

" 12 by 20. 



PILASTER FINISH, WITH CAP. 

Glass 12 by 12. . . Window 4 Yards, 5 Feet, 99 Inches 



4 




2 




66 


4 




5 




30 


4 




7 




18 


5 









6 


5 




1 




126 


5 




8 




114 


5 




5 




115 


5 




7 




90 



12 by 13. 
12 by 14. 
12 by 15. 
12 by 16. 
12 by 17. 
12 by 18. 
12 by 19. 
12 by 20. 



6 




111 







75 


2 




63 


4 




51 


6 




27 


4 




15 


1 




16 


2 




135 



Ready Reckoner. 



211 



Scale to give th 


e number of 


yard 


s, feet and 


inches in windows on th 


e outsid 


e of 


brick 


buildings, includir 


ig the caps and sills : 




Glass 


9 by 12... W 


indow 2 Yards, 6 Feet, 54 Inches. 




9 by 13... 


2 


(( 


7 ' 


' 78 


(( 




9 by 14... 


2 


(( 


8 ' 


' 126 


i( 




9 by 15... 


3 


(( 


1 ' 


' 18 


(( 




9 by 16... 


3 


(( 


2 ' 


' 54 


« 




9 by 17... 


3 


(C 


3 ' 


♦ 90 


« 




9 by 18... 


3 


(( 


4 ' 


* 106 


({ 




9 by 19... 


3 


(( 


6 ' 


' 18 


({ 




9 by 20... 


3 


(( 


7 ' 


* 54 


t( 




LOby 12... 


3 


(( 


8 ' 


* 


(( 




10 by 13... 


3 


(( 


' 


' 48 


(( 




10 by 14... 


3 


« 


1 * 


* 8 


K 




10 by 15... 


3 


{( 


3 ' 


* 


« 




10 by 10... 


" 3 


<( 


4 ' 


♦ 48 


<( 




10 by 17... 


" 3 


(( 


5 * 


' 8 


t( 




10 by 18... 


3 


(( 


7 ' 


' 


it 




10 by 19... 


3 


(( 


8 ' 


' 48 


{( 




LOby 20... 


4 


(( 


' 


• 8 


C( 




11 by 12... 


3 


(( 


' 


' 90 


« 




11 by 13... 


3 


(( 


2 * 


' 6 


t( 




LI by 14... 


3 


(( 


3 ' 


* 66 


u 




LI by 15... 


3 


t( 


4 * 


' 126 


{( 




LI by 16... 


3 


<( 


6 ' 


' 42 


(( 




LI by 17... 


3 


<( 


7 ' 


' 102 


<( 




LI by 18... 


4 


a 


' 


* 18 


« 




LI by 19... 


4 


(( 


1 * 


' 78 


t( 




LI by 20... 


4 


(( 


2 * 


' 138 


(( 




12 by 14. . . 


3 


(( 


5 ' 


' 36 


(( 




12 by 15... 


3 


(( 


6 ' 


' 108 


u 




12 by 16... 


3 


(( 


8 ' 


' 36 


<( 




12 by 17... 


4 


i( 


' 


' 108 


(( 




12 by 18... 


4 


(( 


2 ' 


* 36 


u 




12 by 19 .. 


4 


« 


3 ' 


' 108 


({ 




L2by20... 


4 


<i 


5 * 


' 36 


(( 




L2by21... 


4 


(< 


6 ' 


' 108 


({ 




12 by 22... 


" 4 


({ 


8 * 


♦ 36 


Ki 



212 The Practical Painter, 

Scale to give the number of yards, feet and 
inches in doors and frames of dift'erent sizes, 
inside ; the door and frame of the following 
scales are figured together : 

PLAIN FINISH. 

Door 2 feet 8 in. by 6 feet 8 in 3 yds., 3 feet, 60 in. 

" 2 " 10 " by 6 "10 " 3 " 5 " 56 " 

" 3 " " by 7 " " 3 " 8 " 56 " 

MOLDING FINISH. 

Door 2 feet 8 in. by 6 feet 8 in 3 yds., 8 feet, 33 in. 

" 2 " 10 " by 6 " 10 " 4 " 1 " 41 " 

" 3 " " by 7 " " 4 " 4 " 68 " 

PILASTER FINISH, WITH CAP. 

Door 2 feet 8 in. by 6 feet 8 in 4 yds., 2 feet, 15 in. 

'* 2 " 10 " by 6 "10 " 4 " 4 " 59 " 

" 3 " " by 7 " " 4 " 7 " 86 " 

This scale is for business fronts, with flange 
or pi-ojection of side light in doorway. The 
inside would be plain without the projection, 
and would measure plain as the plain scale for 
outside. Theflans^e avera^fes from one to two 
feet girth. By this, in a front of sixteen feet, 
there would be a gain of two feet if the pro- 
jection is one foot, and if the projection is two 
feet the gain would be four feet; by this, the 
sixteen feet front would be twenty feet girth. 



Ready Reckoner, 213 



FRONT WITH FLANGES. 



8 feet high by 16 feet wide, with flange. .1 ft. 16 yds. 
10 " ♦' by 18 " " *' ..13^ ft. 21 yds. 4 ft. 
12 " " by 20 " " " ..2 " 32 •' '' 

FRONT PLAIN. 

8 feet high by 16 feet wide, plain 14 yards 

10 " " by 28 " " " ....20 " 

12 " " by 30 " " " ....26 " 6 feet. 

SCALE OF BASES. 

In this scale of bases of sizes and heights, 
the measurement gives the base solid around 
the room, the door sills making up for the defi- 
ciency of the doors. Bases and sub-bases 
measuring from six to nine inches should be 
called nine inches girth ; and from nine to 
twelve, should be called one foot; if capped 
with another color, six inches should be added, 
making eighteen inches girth. In the follow- 
ing scale we give 6, 9 and 12 inches scale, all 
inches between these numbers averaging to 
the following number ; and in measuring strips, 
if 2, 3 or 4 inches are measured, 6 inches girth 
is allowed, there being two edges to be cut in. 



SCALE OF SIX-INCH BASES. 



6 inches base, 7 by 9 feet room 1 yard 7 feet. 

6 " " 8 by 12 " " 2 " 2 " 

6 " " 10 by 12 " " 2 '« 4 " 

6 " " 10 by 14 " " 2 " 6 " 

6 " " 13 by 14 " " 3 " 8 " 



214 The Practical Painter, 



6 inches basc,13 by 16 feet room 3 yards 1 foot. 

6 " " 14bylG " " 3 " 3 " 

6 " " 16 by 16 " " 3 "5 " 

SCALE OF NINE-INCH BASE. 

9 inches base, 8 by 12 feet room 3 yards 3 feet. 



9 




' 10 by 12 


9 




' 12 by 14 


9 




' 12 by 16 


9 




' 14 by 14 


9 




* 14 by 16 


9 




' 16 by 16 


9 




' 16 by 18 



3 




6 


4 




3 


4 




6 


4 




6 


5 







5 




3 


5 




6 



SCALE OF TWELVE-INCH BASE. 

12 inches base, 10 by 12 feet room 4 yards 8 feet. 



12 






12 by 12 


12 






13 by 14 


12 






12 by 16 


12 






14 by 14 


12 






14 by 16 


12 






16 by 16 


12 






16 by 18 


12 






16 by 20 


12 






18 by 20 



5 




3 


5 




7 


6 




2 


6 




2 


6 




6 


7 




1 


7 




5 


8 







8 




4 



SCALE OF FLOORS A^STD CEILINGS. 

This scale is to give the number of yards in 
floors of cliiferent sizes, and will also give the 
sizes of ceilings of the same dimensions. 
Floor 7 by 9 feet 7 yards feet. 



8 by 12 
10 by 12 
12 by 12 
12 by 14 
14 by 14 
14 by 16 
16 by 16 



10 




6 


13 




3 


16 







18 




6 


21 




7 


24 




8 


28 


u 


4 



Ready Reckoner. 



215 



Floor 16 by 18 feet 25 yards 3 feet. 

" 16 by 20 " 35 " 5 " 

" 18 by 20 " 40 " *^ 

SCALE OF PICKET FENCING. 

This scale gives the number of yards in 
picket fences, from ten feet up to sixty, of dif- 
ferent heights. 

Fence 2 feet high by 10 feet long 6 yards 6 feet. 



« 


2 


(( k 


' by 20 


<( 


2 


(( ( 


' by 30 


<( 


2 


(( ( 


' by 40 


(( 


2 


« ( 


' by 50 


(( 


2 


u < 


' by 60 


(( 


2K 


i( ( 


' by 10 


t( 


^K 


(( i 


' by 20 


({ 


2K 


(( ( 


' by 30 


(( 


'^y^. 


(( ( 


' by 40 


t( 


2K 


(( ( 


' by 50 


(( 


2K 


{( < 


' by 60 


(( 


3 


U ( 


' by 10 


i( 


3 


({ ( 


* by 20 


({ 


3 


« ( 


' by 30 


C( 


3 


(( < 


' by 40 


« 


3 


(( ( 


' by 50 


i( 


3 


(( < 


♦ by 60 


t( 


3K 


U ( 


* by 10 


(( 


BK 


(( ( 


' by 20 


<( 


8K 


« < 


' by 30 


(( 


3K 


(( ( 


' by 40 


(( 


^K 


(( ( 


' by 50 


<i 


^K 


(( 


' by 60 


<« 


4 


(( 


* by 10 


(( 


4 


« 


* by 20 


u 


4 


« ( 


' by 30 


i( 


4 


<( 


' by 40 


t( 


4 


(( 


'* by 50 


tl 


4 


it 


'* by CO 



"J 

13 


(( 


3 


20 


({ 





28 


(( 


6 


33 


(( 


3 


40 


« 





8 


(( 


3 


16 


(t 


6 


25 


« 





33 


(( 


3 


41 


(C 


6 


50 


(( 





10 


(( 





20 


a 





30 


(( 





40 


(( 





50 


(( 





60 


<( 





11 


« 


6 


23 


(( 


3 


35 


u 





46 


t( 


6 


58 


u 


3 


70 


(( 





13 


(( 


3 


26 


(( 


6 


40 


i( 





53 


u 


3 


66 


t( 


6 


80 


t( 






2 It) The Practical Painter, 



Fence ^% feet high by 10 feet long 
'* 43^ " " b;y 20 " " . 
** 4>^ " " by 30 " " , 
" ^% " " by 40 " " . 
" 41^ " " by 50 " " , 
by 60 •* «' . 



15 


yard. 


3 feet 


80 









45 









60 









75 









90 










" 43.^ " 

To measure picket fence, measure one side 
and multiply by three ; this gives the whole 
height. For instance, a fence that measures 
three feet girth is nine feet girth by the length, 
that gives all sides of the pickets. 



SCALE OF VENETIAN BLINDS. 

Painted with chrome green, permanent or 
Hampden green, one coat of lead, and two 
coats of green prize scale ; it being useless to 
throw Venetian blinds into yards, I give the 
customary price to the different sizes by the 



pair: 








Glass from 








9 to 10, 11 by 12 . . .$1 75 for 3 coats, $1 50 for 2 coats. 


9 to 10, 11, 12 by 14, 2 00 




1 75 




9 to 10, 11, 12 by 16, 2 50 




2 00 




9 to 10, 11, 12 by 18, 2 75 




2 50 




9 to 10, 11, 12 by 20, 3 00 




2 75 




9 to 10, 11, 12 by 24, 3 25 




3 00 





Where Paris green is used, add from 20 to 
40 cents per pair for the same number of coats, 
the price differing more or less, as the cost of 
material. In painting new blinds, it is custom- 
ary to give the first coat of lead color and two 



Ready Reckoner. 217 

coats of green, and in painting old blinds it is 
customary to give two coats of green. 

SCALE OF PORCH FLOORS, CEILINGS AND 
AWNINGS. 

This scale gives the number of yards in 
awnings, porches, verandas, etc. ; the floors, 
ceilings and roofs when painted, as they are 
usually laid with matched flooring. 

5feetby 5 feet long ^ y^.^^%^ ^f *• 

5 " by 10 " ;; \ „ \ « 

5 " byl5 " " ^. « \ a 

5 " by20 " " 1^ 1 ^^ 

5 " by25 " " 1? « \ u 

5 oy oii ^ Q u AH 

5 " by 35 " " II „ I u 

5 " by40 " " 20 2 ^^ 

6 " by 5 " ;; 6 " 6 " 

6 " bylO " I « I u 

6 " byl5 " " \l „ ^ « 

6 " by20 " " 1^ 3 ^^ 

6 " by25 " ;; II „ I « 

6 " by35 " " 23 ^ ^^ 

6 " by40 " " 26 ^^ 6 ^^ 

7 " bylO " '* J „ A « 

7 " byl5 " " ]\ „ ^ .< 

7 " by ^U .Q « j^ t< 

7 " l)y25 " " 19 ,, I .. 

7 " by30 " " 23 ^^ 6 ^^ 

7 " by35 " " 26 ^^ l ^^ 

7 " by40 " " % « I « 

8 " bylO « " « « ^ « 

8 " byl5 - •* {^ « 5 « 

8 " by20 *^ " ^^ u a a 

8 « by25 " " 2S -* 



2i8 The Practical Paifiter, 



8 feet by 30 feet long 26 yards 6 feet. 



8 ' 


' by 85 


8 ' 


' by 40 


9 ' 


• by 10 


9 * 


' by 15 


9 * 


' by 20 


9 * 


' by 25 


9 * 


by 30 


9 * 


* by 35 


9 ' 


' by 40 


10 ' 


' by 12 


10 ♦ 


' by 15 


10 * 


' by 20 


10 ' 


' by 25 


10 • 


• by 30 


10 ' 


' by 35 


10 * 


' by 40 



31 ' 


' 1 


ii 


35 ' 


' 5 


(( 


10 


• 


t{ 


15 


' 


« 


20 


♦ 


it 


25 


' 


ti 


30 


♦ 


<c 


35 


• 


ti 


40 


' 


tt 


13 


' 3 


it 


16 


'* 6 


ti 


22 


" 3 


tt 


27 


i 7 


tt 


33 


" 3 


tt 


38 


" 8 


ti 


44 


u 4 


tt 



SCALE OF CORNICES. 

This scale gives the number of yards in cor- 
nices of different lenscths and widths. 



ron 


1 1 


ft. 


6 


in. 


girth to 10 ft. 


girth 


..1 


yd 


6 ft. 


in 


it 




u 


6 




u 


to 15 






2 


it 


4 


"72 




it 




(( 


6 




ft 


to 20 






3 


<{ 


3 


" 




it 




<( 


6 




i( 


to 25 






3 


(t 


5 


"72 




ft 




<( 


6 




ti 


to 30 






5 


(( 





" 




it 




i( 


6 




i( 


to 35 






5 


it 


5 


"72 




ii 




t( 


6 




it 


to 40 






6 


(f 


6 


" 




ft 




<( 


6 




tt 


to 45 






7 


<t 


4 


"72 




tt 




t< 


6 




ti 


to 50 






8 


(( 


3 


" 




tt 




t( 


6 




u 


to 55 






9 


<( 


1 


"72 




it 




«( 


6 




(( 


to GO 






10 


(( 





" 




it 


3 


i( 


wide to 10 ft. loE 


^ 




. 2 


it 


2 


" 




ii 


2 


ti 






to 15 








. 3 


(( 


3 


" 




(i 


2 


it 






to 20 








. 4 


it 


4 


" 




tt 


2 


tt 






to 25 








. 5 


it 


5 


" 




it 


2 


ft 






to 30 








. 6 


<{ 


6 


" 




tt 


2 


ti 






to 35 








. 7 


ti 


7 


" 





Ready Reckoner, 219 

From 2 ft. wide to 40 ft. long ,^ T.^' ^ !?' S '^' 

« 2 " " to 55 " " 13 ^ ., ^ ,, 

« 2 " " to60" " 1'^ n- - 

" ^y.: : \-\r: : l» h4^^ 

a 214' *' to 15 " ^ « K « " 

" 4:; :: *»?»:: :: 6'. I ••73" 

« 2V< '* " to 25 ' Q u q " n " 

« 2i|'' " to30" " I ^,..5 « 

« 2i|" " to 35" " 8 5 ^7. ^^ 

« 2^;; ;; to4o;; ; i . l.,^. 

« 2W " to 4o " :J^ „ ft « " 

" 2i|" " to50" " 15 |.„^ a 

« 2i|" " to55" " 1-^ I Jg « 

« 3 " ;; to 15;; ;; ^l^^ ^. ^. 



« 3 « " to25" " 8 3 0^ 

« 3 " " to30» " i? fi» ft « 

« 3 " " to 35" " 11 \,. I u 

« 3 " " to40" " 1'^' 0" " 

« 3 « « to45" " 15 ;^ ^» ^ « 

« 3 " " to5o;; ;; f ;; |. I « 

" 3 " " to55 18^, ^^. ^ u 



ti 3 « " to 60 



3 " 8 " 



« 31^" " to 10 » " ^ ,. ° »-^ « 

« |i|" " to 15" ;; 5;; 7^,73 ^^ 

« 32" " to20 " " ^ ,. ^ » " « 

« 3^" " to25" ; 9 , ^^^72 ^^ 

« 3g« « to30 « " 11 , I ,,„l « 

« 3i|" " to 35" ; f , 4 ^72 ^^ 

« 3^" " to40" 1'^, 5 ^^ 

« 31/ '« " to 45 " " ]l ,, \ Ji u 

« 31!" " to50" " 1? 4 ^^ 

« 3M" " t«55" ; 21 3 ^72 ^^ 

« 4 " " to 10 " c a P « " 

.. 4 " " to 15" •;_ 8 6^0^. 

" 4 " " to20 " " 8 8" 



220 The Practical Painter, 



From 


i4 


ft. 


wide to 25 


« 


(i 


11 


yd 


. 1 ft. in. 


«( 


4 


t( 


« 


to 30 


« 


({ 


13 




3 


.i " 


(( 


4 


(( 


(( 


to 35 


(( 


(( 


15 




5 


" " 


«< 


4 


(( 


{( 


to 40 


(( 


« 


17 




7 


U Q U 


« 


4 


« 


« 


to 45 


« 


<( 


20 







a u 


« 


4 


« 


(t 


to 50 


« 


« 


22 




2 


" " 


« 


4 


« 


« 


to 55 


<( 


« 


24 




4 


U Q « 


(( 


4 


<i 


« 


to 60 


u 


« 


26 




6 


« " 


« 


5 


4( 


i< 


to 10 


<( 


« 


5 




5 


" " 


« 


5 


(i 


<( 


to 15 


« 


(( 


8 




3 


« Q U 


« 


5 


« 


« 


to 20 


« 


({ 


11 




1 


" " 


Ci 


5 


(( 


« 


to 25 


{< 


({ 


13 




8 


" " 


« 


5 


« 


« 


to 30 


<( 


« 


16 




6 


" " 


(i 


5 


l( 


« 


to 35 


(i 


(( 


19 




4 


a « 


<{ 


5 


« 


{< 


to 40 


<( 


(( 


22 




2 


a Q a 


« 


5 


i( 


(( 


to 45 


t( 


<( 


25 







" " 


t< 


5 


({ 


({ 


to 50 


<( 


« 


27 




7 


" " 


<c 


5 


<{ 


<( 


to 55 


« 


(( 


30 




5 


i. « 


« 


5 


« 


« 


to 60 


i( 


(( 


33 




3 


" " 


<t 


6 


it 


« 


to 10 


<( 


« 


6 




6 


a Q « 


<{ 


6 


« 


i( 


to 15 


« 


(( 


10 







" " 


« 


6 


l( 


({ 


to 20 


(( 


(( 


13 




3 


" " 


c< 


6 


« 


(( 


to 25 


« 


« 


16 




6 


" " 


« 


6 


(i 


« 


to 30 


(( 


« 


20 







" " 


({ 


6 


« 


« 


to 85 


(( 


{( 


23 




3 


«i « 


(( 


6 


« 


(( 


to 40 


« 


(( 


26 




6 


a Q u 


« 


6 


<( 


i( 


to 45 


« 


« 


30 







a « 


l( 


6 


« 


<i 


to 50 


« 


(( 


33 




3 


u « 


u 


6 


(( 


<c 


to 55 


(( 


(( 


36 




6 


u « 


«< 


6 


« 


{{ 


to 80 


(( 


(( 


40 







«C Q (t 



WAINSCOTING. 

From the above scale of cornices you can 
run wainscoting any height and length that is 
desired, it giving you the number of yards and 
feet in the various lengths and breadths. Also, 



Ready Reckoner. 



221 



you will find this scale useful in various 
instances ; it is good to give the number of 
yards in close or blind fencing. 



SCALE OF STAIRS. 

This scale gives the various sizes of stair- 
way, from 8 to 12 feet story; all that is 
required is to obtain the measurement, that is, 
to girt the width of the stairs and stair bases ; 
the following scale will give the number of 
yards in the work : 



Girth. 


Rise. 


step. 






Yds 


Ft.In. 


3Kft.. 


.8 in. 


.10 in. 


. . 14 steps to 8 ft. story 


.. 8 


1 72 


3J^" . 


.8 " 


.10 " 


.15 ' 


' to 9 " " 


. 8 


6 72 


3H " . 


.8 " 


.10 " 


.17 ' 


♦ to 10 " " 


.. 9 


7 


33^" . 


.8 " 


.10 " 


.18 ' 


' to 11 " " 


..10 


4 72 


W%'' • 


.8 " 


.10 " 


.20 ' 


' to 12 '* " 


.11 


6 


4 " . 


.8 " 


.10 " 


.14 ' 


' to 8" " 


. 9 





4 " . 


.8 " 


.10 " 


.15 ' 


• to 9 " " 


..10 





4 " . 


.8 " 


.10 " 


.17 ♦ 


' to 10 " " 


..11 


3 


4 " . 


.8 " 


.10 " 


.18 * 


' to 11 " " 


.12 





4 " . 


.8 " 


.10 " 


.20 ' 


• to 12 " " 


..13 


3 


4^'' . 


.8 " 


.10 " 


.14 * 


' to 8" " 


.10 


4 72 


4K" . 


.8 " 


.10 " 


.15 * 


' to 9 " " 


..11 


2 36 


4^" . 


.8 " 


.10 " 


.17 ' 


♦ to 10 " " 


.12 


72 


4K" . 


.8 " 


.10 " 


.18 ' 


' to 11 " " 


.13 


4 72 


4>i" . 


.8 " 


.10 " 


.20 ' 


' to 12 " " 


.15 





5 » . 


.8 " 


.10 " 


.14 ' 


* to 8" " 


.11 


6 


5 " . 


.8 " 


.10 " 


.15 ' 


' to 9" " 


.12 


4 72 


5 " . 


.8 " 


.10 " 


.17 ' 


' to 10 " " . 


.14 


1 72 


5 " . 


.8 " 


.10 " 


.18 ' 


* to 11 " " 


.15 





5 " . 


.8 " 


.10 " 


.30 ' 


' to 12" " . 


.16 


6 



222 The Practical Painter, 



SCALE OF BALUSTRADE AND HAND-RAIL 

This scale gives the number of yards in 
hand-rails and balustrades to stairway from 
4 to 5 feet wide by 4 to 30 feet long. This 
scale can be used for measuring work that run 
of the same heights or breadths : 

From 4 feet wide to 4 feet long 1 yard 7 feet 



" 4 " 


ii 


to 6 


ft 


« 4 « 


{( 


to 8 


it 


« 4 « 


ii 


to 10 


({ 


« 4 ♦< 


ii 


to 12 


ft 


« 4 " 


i*. 


to 14 


ft 


« 4 « 


ii 


to 16 


ft 


(i 4 <4 


it 


to 18 


t( 


« 4 « 


it 


to 20 


1.1, 


i( 4 it 


it 


to 22 


(f 


« 4 <t 


it 


to 24 


ft 


« 4 u 


it 


to 26 


tf 


« 4 « 


t( 


to 28 


tt 


« 4 " 


t( 


to 30 


ft 


" 41^ " 
" 43^ " 
" 4K " 
" 4i| " 
" 4%, " 


ft 
it 

u 

ti 
u 


to 4 
to 6 
to 8 
to 10 
to 12 


ft 
it 
ft 
ft 
ft 


" 41^ " 


it 


to 14 


ft 


" 41^ " 


It 


to 16 


ft 


" 43^ " 


(I 


to 18 


ft 


" 4K " 
" 43^ " 
" 41^ " 


if 
(( 
ft 


to 20 
to 22 
to 24 


ft 
ft 
ft 


" 4li " 


ft 


to 26 


ft 


" 4% " 


ft 


to 28 


ft 


" 43^ " 
t( 5 it 


ft 
tt 


to 30 
to 6 


ft 
ft 



2 


ft 


6 


it 


3 


ft 


5 


it 


4 


ft 


4 


i< 


5 


ft 


3 


(( 


6 


ft 


2 


i( 


7 


ft 


1 


(C 


8 


ft 





({ 


8 


ft 


8 


(i 


9 


ft 


7 


t( 


10 


ft 


6 


(( 


11 


ft 


5 


iC 


12 


ft 


4 


c< 


13 


ft 


3 


(( 


2 


ft 





t( 


3 


ft 





iC 


4 


ft 





tt 


5 


ft 





tc 


6 


ft 





tt 


7 


ft 





tt 


8 


ft 





tt 


9 


ft 





ft 


10 


ft 





tf 


11 


ft 





tf 


12 


ft 





f{ 


13 


ft 





n 


14 


ft 





tt 


15 


it 





ft 


3 


t( 


3 


i( 



Ready Reckoner, 223 

From 5 feet wide to 8 feet long 4 yards 4 feet. 

«' 5 " " to 10 " " 5 " 5 " 

♦' 5 " " to 12 " " 6 " 6 " 

« 5 " <' to 14 " *' 7 " 7 " 

" 5 " " to IG " "!!'.".!.! 8 " 8 " 

" 5 '• " to 18 " " JO ** " 

" 5 " " to 20 " " 11 " 1 " 

" 5 " " to 22 " " 12 " 2 " 

" 5 " " to 24 " •' 13 " 3 " 

" 5 •' " to26 " *• 14 " 4 " 

" 5 " " to 28 " *' 15 " 5 " 

" 5 " " to 30 " " 16 " 6 ** 

The beauty of these scales is, that every 
part of the housework can be taken in a few 
minutes, and the fif>;ures in the estimate will 
be correct; as is often the case, you are 
required to give an answer, and by this it can 
Vje done with safety. It would be well for 
new beginners to study and understand these 
scales thoroughly; by following them, both 
time and money are saved. 




CLEANLINESS IN PAINTING 



The painter can not be too careful in hand- 
ling his work with cleanliness ; for his aim is 
to beautify his work, and unless it is kept per- 
fectly clean, he will succeed poorly ; therefore, 
I would advise you to be careful in all 
branches of the trade. 

Let every surface to which color is to be 
applied be well dusted and cleaned off before 
applying the paint ; and often it is necessary, 
on fine jobs, or sign work, to wash off before 
putting on the following coats ; and in sanding 
off your work, if there is sand sticking in parti- 
cles over the surface, this should be well dusted 
off with a good duster. 

In painting wash-boards or bases, dust care- 
fully along on the floor, so as to remove the 
grit that collects under the wash-board, for in 
cutting in the bases, the brush will catch up 
all the grit, make a rough job, and spoil the 



Cleanliness in Painting, 225 

beauty of the work. In painting over old 
work, be careful to brush down the cobwebs, 
for they hold dust, and color the white or other 
delicate colors, and spoil the whole effect. 

In doing nice work, some painters change 
their brushes from one color to another, and 
but imperfectly, washing them out. In the 
first place, it is hard to wash a colored brush 
from a colored shade, to be worked in white. 
I have seen good work spoiled in that way. 
The best way is to keep certain brushes for 
white, and nothing but white. Some have a 
careless way of painting dark colors, getting it 
on their hands, and then handling white or 
light work, and leaving finger marks on it, 
which show through the last coats. The best 
way is to wash the hands before handling 
white work ; you can not be too careful in this 
matter. Some painters wipe their hands on 
their overalls, which is a very slovenly prac- 
tice. It is certainly necessary to keep yourself 
perfectly clean ; your over-clothes should be 
changed often, and washed, if you have any 
regard for health. I know you can not avoid 
getting paint on your clothes, but you can 
wash them often enough, to keep them from 
standing alone. As the beauty of your work 
is in keeping clean and in being careful, and 
15 



226 The Practical Painter, 

your health depends on cleanliness, I trust 
you will observe these few remarks, and be 
benefited. 

In this work all technical phrases have been 
entirely avoided, in order to make it plain and 
perfectly understood by young and old, it 
leaving no difficulty to contend with ; remem- 
ber that courage is the way through difficulty. 

REMARKS TO BEGINNERS. 

In the first place, learn to be neat in all your 
work, and keep your hands as free from paint 
as possible. It will be well to clean your hands 
every evening })erfectly with a brush, so there 
is no paint left on them ; paint acts on the 
nerves of the wrist, and produces a weakness 
of that part. Apprentices often get sick at the 
stomach, accompanied with a slight headache, 
and sometimes a fainting sensation ; this arises 
from the fumes of lead or green, and often 
when boiling oil, etc., by inhaling these. 
When these feelings arise, relief can often be 
found by going out in the fresh air, or by 
taking a little fresh water they soon pass 
away. After working at the business a i^w^ 
months, you will not be troubled with these 
symptoms. You should have your meals as 



Remarks to Beginners, 227 

regularly as possible, and not work with an 
empty stomach, because the paint has more 
effect on you then. 

I should advise you not to use strong drinks. 
The painter should be strictly temperate. 
Many jour, painters are in the habit of drink- 
ing more or less, but it is very injurious to 
them, for it will be found, by habitual drink- 
ing, that the liquor, acting with the poisonous 
qualities of the paint, will soon bring the 
painter to an early and premature grave ; but 
if the painter is temperate in his habits with 
regard to liquor, and is careful to observe per- 
fect cleanliness, he may expect to follow the 
trade with comparative safety. To illustrate 
the effect of liquor on the drinker and the 
abstainer, it is said by a medical man, that if a 
drinker is attacked by painter's colic, strong 
drink only makes him worse, and if persisted 
in will soon carry him to his grave ; but, with 
the temperate man in the same disease, liquor 
has a most favorable effect, and in most cases 
will not fail to entirely cure. Therefore my 
advice is, to abstain from all alcoholic drinks, 
for instead of neutralizing the effect of the 
paint, it only makes a bad matter worse, and 
hastens its unfortunate victim to an untimely 
end. 



2 28 The Practical Painter, 



PAINTERS' COLIC. 

This disease is the most common, as well as 
the most dangerous, that the painter is subject 
to. It arises from inhaling the fumes of the 
different mixtures of leads and greens, and is 
often very severe in its attacks. It is a violent 
species of colic, but it may arise from other 
causes besides paint; it is worse when caused 
by lead, and is very difficult to cure. The first 
symptoms are a pain in the pit of the stomach, 
gradually increasing and passing to the bowels. 
At the first symptoms, a person sliould take a 
large dose of castor oil, or, which is better, 
one-half castor and one-half linseed oil. If this 
should not give relief, take more of the oil, and 
a dose of calomel in a pill, and put warm cloths 
on the pit of the stomach. The patient should 
be kept as quiet as })0ssible ; he should take no 
spirituous liquors, nor any kind of solid food, 
but should confine himself to broth diet. It is 
positively necessary to keep out of the sun 
while you are under the influence of this 
disease. And now, my friends, it is unneces- 
sary to say more on this subject, for you can 
all see it is necessary to be very careful in 
order to preserve health in this most unhealthy 
of occupations ; and let those^ that drink be- 



Painters^ Colic, 229 

ware, it will certainly kill or cure, and it is apt 
to kill. 

Some physicians advise chewing tobacco, 
and recouiniend it very highly as a preventive 
to the effects of paint ; it may be good, it* not 
used to excess, which is very bad; for my part 
I can not say, as I never use it. It is also a 
good plan to use a large portion of fat meats, 
and other oily substances, by which practice 
the paint is said not to affect persons nearly so 
much. A very bad practice prevails among 
painters in removing paints and varnishes from 
the hands which are very hard to get off", they 
use turpentine, which, penetrating the skin, 
causes a weakness of the wrist, and often 
entirely ruins the hands. Varnish, or any 
other substance, is very easily removed, by 
using raw linseed oil; it will remove any sub- 
stance you get on your hands in the painting 
business, at the same time it softens the skin, 
and is good to relieve heat or fever in the 
hands, while, on the contrary, turpentine dries 
the skin and causes heat and fever. 



230 The Practical Painter, 



TO THE APPRENTICE OR YOUNG PAINTER. 

I will give you some instruction, as land- 
marks that you may see, and seeing, be bene- 
fited ; that is, if you ever expect to become a 
thorough and practical painter, and succeed in 
the business, it depends on yourself — on your 
own perseverance and energy — for you will 
never be jjroficient in your business unless you 
put your own hand to the wheel. In the first 
place, do not depend on your employer to show 
you every thing in the business, but observe 
every thing, and impress it on your mind, and 
when it comes to you to do, you will have 
some knowledge of what you want, In this 
business the apprentice should be no drone in 
the hive, but should go at it with a will, and 
by close observation he will succeed, and by 
close study become a No. 1 workman, and a 
splendid sign writer or a good grainer. You 
may have a friend who will instruct you, but 
he can not teach you any thing unless you are 
determined to learn. Therefore, I claim that 
it depends on yourself; you must take your 
pencil and strive to learn ; and to become an 
accomplished sign writer you should be con- 
tinually drawing, and laying off letters and 



To the Apprentice, 231 

figures, and in fact you should learn to draw 
thoroughly, for in sign and banner painting 
there is considerable drawing of figures and 
caricatures, also many articles on signs of dif- 
ferent trades. If you have learned to draw 
well, lettering will come to you very readily, for 
drawing is the soul of painting, and you can 
accomplish nothing unless you can draw ; in 
ornamenting it is indispensable. A man should 
be capable of ornamenting in all sizes and 
shapes ; for instance, in sign painting you are 
sometimes required to paint a man's name on 
a fifteen feet board with five letters, and at 
at another time with twenty letters on the same 
length of board; it can be done, and made 
to read well on both signs, and with a good 
sign painter it is easily done, for it becomes a 
second nature to him. 

A little of my experience may perhaps be of 
some service to you. I have worked at the 
trade some twenty-three years, and my success 
has been accomplished by close observation 
and perseverance, combined with a continual 
drawing of letters, ornaments, figures, etc., 
and every thing pertaining to the trade. The 
first lesson I received was to depend upon my- 
self. It is impossible for the boss to let inex- 
perienced hands work on signs, for his reputa- 



232 The Practical .Painter, 

tion is at stake, if he has much competition in 
the business; and again, the man that he 
works for expects to have a good job done. 
Again, if I had an apprentice, and should take 
time to lay off the work for him to letter a 
common sign, I should have to b^e very par- 
ticular in laying off the work, and while doing 
that I could paint the sign, for I can letter a 
common sign as soon as I can lay it off for 
another ; for every point should be correct, or 
the apprentice would make but a poor job. 
I will tell you how I lettered my first sign. I 
had been drawing on letters and ornaments 
until I had full confidence that I could paint a 
sign and shade it ; I had very good command 
of the pencil by striping, and was sure I could 
make a good, passable letter. My boss had a 
large sign in the shop, and he wanted it lettered 
on Saturday. He was doing his sign work 
himself, but on this occasion he was called 
away on important business from town, and 
could not do it, and it was promised. I 
requested him to let me letter it, and he would 
not. Well, he went ; and I resolved to do the 
lettering, if I got my discharge, and I went at 
it that day, and the next morning it was 
finished. On Monday morning he came to the 
shop, and said, " Who did that ? " I told him 



To the Apprentice, 233 

that I did ; he eyed it a moment, and said it 
was well I had not spoiled it. All the reproof 
I received was thai the " W" was spread a little 
too much. After that I had plenty of sign 
work to do, and it saved me a great deal of 
hard work. I have had from ten to twenty 
jom-s. in my shop at a time, and some of them 
had painted for years and could not make a 
letter, and not one that could letter a sign ; I 
can lay it to nothing else but being careless 
and dilatory ; well, if a pound brush will suit 
them, all right. I have found it more or less 
so in graining. And another item that is 
worth mentioning is this : when I was an 
apprentice, I kept a receipt-book, that I wrote 
everything in pertaining to painting. In this 
way I got many ideas, which probably I should 
not otherwise have remembered ; and as I pro- 
gressed, I often had occasion to refer to it; 
and, following that up, has induced me to put 
this work before the public. In learning the 
painting business there is no small amount of 
study to go through with, and it requires 
perseverance to become successful ; for by 
perseverance and an indomitable will I have 
been successful, and stand among the best in 
my business, 

D. S. McDannell. 




CONCLUSION. 



I would say, in conclusion, that it must not 
be imagined that the profession of a painter is 
that of an idler; on the contrary, it is one of 
the most active of occupations, for one is con- 
stantly engaged, if not with the work itself, 
at least with its materials; then, again, there 
are so many things to be calculated, foreseen, 
and prepared, independently of the consider- 
able time which must be taken for the art itself, 
if one would make progress. How, indeed, 
should it be otherwise with the profession of a 
painter, since it is so in every part of life, 
mentally and morally. Our whole existence is 
a struggle against obstacles; happy he, not 
who has the fewest to encounter, but those 
who have most spirit and perseverance to sur- 
mount them, or the most resignation to submit 



Conclusion, 235 

to disappointment when they prove insuper- 
able. But courage ! the way through difficulty, 
arduous and perplexing more than you yet can 
conceive, has been trodden without fear by 
multitudes, and with good success by not a 
few. There is no reason why the same 
obstacles may not be again overcome ; all that 
is needed is perseverance, for be assured that 
without it there is no genius — no, not in any 
thing. In our business there are obstacles that 
dishearten, but the genius must never give up, 
but push ahead over and conquering every 
difficulty. In this volume you will find need- 
ful instruction. If you aim higher and loftier 
in the art, strike with a steady fire ; you will 
not then be chilled at a first, nor a second, nor 
yet a third, failure. Do what you will, let 
perseverance and a determined will overcome 
all, and be not discouraged if the wise per- 
ception of colors is the gift of nature, for how 
many have overcome natural deficiencies and 
become proficient in their business ; and you 
will find the '* Practical Painter," with its 
rules, charts, scales and instruction, a real 
assistance in your profession, that will give 
you a lift ou the ladder of fame. 



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.A* ^-^^ ^. •» 







HECKMAN 

BINDERY INC. 

1989 




N. MANCHESTER, 
S^^ INDIANA 46962 







f 



